The New York Yankees needed this one. It came down to the wire: an early start protected by timely pitching, resulting in a key one-run win that keeps them within reach of the AL East lead.
They’re not there yet. And throughout Sunday’s 4–3 win over the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays, they demonstrated both why they deserve a shot at the division title and why they’re currently tailgating Toronto. There is room to improve in the pitching, fielding, and batting departments. But at this point in the season, they ask how many, not how.
The Yankees entered Sunday three games back of Toronto for the AL East lead. They fell 7–1 to the Blue Jays on Friday night as Cam Schlitter lasted just 1.2 innings, giving up five hits and four earned runs. They rebounded Saturday with a 3–1 win, as Luis Gil conceded just one run and three hits over six innings.
Ben Rice finishes 10-pitch at-bat with 3-run homer
On Friday, the Blue Jays frustrated Schlitter by fouling off pitches and working his pitch count to 40 in the first inning as they built up a 3–0 lead that set the tone.
On Sunday, the Yankees flipped that script.
Ben Rice worked Toronto starter Max Scherzer for a 10-pitch at-bat. He recovered from an early 0-2 hole and fouled off four, before finally getting the pitch he wanted: a 94.8 mph four-seam fastball over the heart of the plate. He pulled the ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run.
Rice’s 23rd homer of 2025 put the Yankees ahead 3–0 in the first inning, cashing in on an Aaron Judge walk and a Cody Bellinger single.
The Yankees entered Sunday having hit a Major League-leading 242 home runs, 36 higher than the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 206. Rice is one of six Yankees to have hit at least 20 home runs this year — the club is tied with the Chicago Cubs in this metric.
Max Fried yields 6 hits, escapes jam
Max Fried wasn’t perfect on Sunday.
He threw 100 pitches over seven innings, but conceded six hits and three runs (all earned). He walked one and struck out four.
But he was timely. In the top of the third, Fried faced a jam. The game was tied at three. The Blue Jays had runners on second and third, and only one out. Fried got Ernie Clement to line out on an outside changeup — helped by a diving catch by Anthony Volpe — then got Ty France to ground out on another changeup in the bottom third of the zone.
In the fourth, Aaron Judge robbed George Springer of extra bases with a diving catch, ending the inning as the Blue Jays left a man on second.
The Blue Jays went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position Sunday — a testament to the timeliness of the Yankees’ pitching staff. Toronto also left six runners on base.
Anthony Volpe makes 19th error, goes 0-for-3
Volpe’s fielding and batting woes have been well documented over the course of the season.
His diving catch on the Clement lineout saved his starting pitcher in a key moment. But this play only helped erase Volpe’s 19th error of the season — a metric in which he leads the American League and is second in the majors. The lead runner in Fried’s third-inning jam, Davis Schneider, reached base on what should have been a routine groundout. Volpe botched the throw, pulling Rice off the bag.
He wasn’t much better at the plate. He struck out swinging in all three of his at-bats.
Yankees honor CC Sabathia in pre-game ceremony
The Yankees celebrated CC Sabathia’s Hall of Fame induction during Sunday’s game.
“Most importantly, I want to thank the fans,” Sabathia told the Yankee Stadium crowd during the ceremony. “Thank you guys for showing up every single night, bringing the energy. I hope you guys understood and appreciated what I tried to bring to the mound every fifth day. So thank you, I love you guys.”
Sabathia spent 11 years in pinstripes, amassing a 134–88 record. He was an instrumental part of the club’s 2009 World Series Championship. During his Yankees tenure, he was a three-time All-Star and finished top five in American League Cy Young voting three times.
The Yankees presented Sabathia with a custom Supreme jacket. His Hall of Fame plaque was on display at the Yankees Museum from the first through fifth innings of Sunday’s game. The club also gave away replica plaques to the first 40,000 fans. Sabathia helped distribute the plaques.
