BRONX, NY — The Yankees overcame another tense ninth inning with David Bednar on the mound Monday night, using a pair of clutch home runs from Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the seventh to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 in the Bronx.
Improving to 15-6 at home this season and now winning 10 of their last 11 games at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have continued their strong stretch of baseball in pinstripes. While the Yankees (29-19) have thrived at home, they have struggled on the road (14-13), particularly with runners in scoring position.
Paul Goldschmidt gave the Yankees an immediate spark, launching a first-pitch leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Paul Goldschmidt got things started for the Yankees Monday night with a solo leadoff home run in the first inning – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
It marked the third leadoff homer in his last three starts atop the lineup and the fifth leadoff homer of the 38-year-old’s career.
Toronto responded in the fourth inning when Ernie Clement, a postseason hero in 2025, crushed a three-run homer off Ryan Weathers to give the Jays a 3-1 lead. 2021 American League LatinoMVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr., also off a historic October run, and Kazuma Okamoto both scored on the play as Toronto capitalized on one of its biggest offensive moments of the night.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a historic 2025 postseason, including a two-game stretch in the ALDS vs. the Yankees at Yankee Stadium where he recorded three hits, one for a HR, with three RBI and two runs scored – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Yankees answered quickly behind Anthony Volpe, who continued his strong return from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Volpe, 25, doubled in the fourth inning after replay review overturned a catch in left field, stole third base, and later scored on J.C. Escarra’s sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 3-2. Goldschmidt followed later in the inning with an RBI double to tie the game.
Recording his 1,500th career hit prior in the first, George Springer, a consistent thorn in the Yankees’ side, briefly put Toronto back ahead with a solo home run in the fifth inning before the Yankees exploded in the seventh.
Bellinger—picking up right where left off with his dominance at Yankee Stadium where all six of his home runs this season have been hit—tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run homer to center field.
Moments later, Chisholm delivered the decisive blow, driving a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole to give the Yankees a 7-5 advantage.
“Off the bat I felt like it was probably going to slice just foul, I knew he hit it well and it was deep enough,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “So I knew he got it even the other way. But it wasn’t until probably past halfway and I probably got as good a look in the house as anybody at it. And it just kinda held true and held its line at the end. Once it got past halfway, I’m like, ‘this thing’s hanging on.’”
Boone also praised Chisholm’s recent offensive progress, stating “Jazz is starting to swing the bat a lot better here these last several days.”
The left-handed swinging second baseman Chisholm used José Caballero’s bat and Giancarlo Stanton’s pants once again Monday night—a trend for the 28-year-old lately, attempting to get hot at the plate.
“It’s always going to be Giancarlo’s pants now,” he said with a laugh, adding “it was José’s bat.”
As the Yankees gained momentum, Fernando Cruz dominated the eighth inning with three strikeouts before Bednar survived a stressful ninth inning to earn his 11th save of the season.
David Bednar, off to a rough start for 2026, was able to escape a ninth inning scare Monday night vs. Toronto to secure his 11th save of the year – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The 31-year-old right-hander allowed a run, fell behind on Springer 3-0 before striking him out with three consecutive splitters out of the strike zone and then got Guerrero Jr. to ground out to end it.
Boone praised Bednar’s ability to recover after blowing a save in the Subway Series a day prior in Queens and getting the upper hand on Toronto’s two most dynamic sluggers.
“That’s one of the things we love about him, he’s not flappable,” he said. “No matter what’s going on, you trust who he is and he was able to make enough pitches tonight.”
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