To win seven games in a row, sometimes things have to go your way.
Marcus Semien busted his butt to first base as his weak grounder bounded off the Yankee Stadium grass. New York shortstop Andrew Velazquez tried his best, but pulled the throw wide, and Semien advanced to second. The throwing error opened the door to the game's biggest moment.
The next two batters of the seventh inning couldn't connect, but Teoscar Hernández eventually pushed an opposite field single past the diving second baseman to plate the deciding run in Wednesday's 6-3 win.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s ninth-inning home run—his 41st of the year—off Aroldis Chapman added an extra twist of the knife as the Blue Jays added runs late to finish things off with a bang.
The win elicited a sigh of relief, as Toronto was given plenty of opportunities, yet initially failed to capitalize. Eventually, the club broke through, but patience was the name of the game early in this one.
The Blue Jays worked a season-high 11 walks. Whether it was a four-pitch free pass or at-bats like Hernández's 13-pitch walk in the fifth, Toronto was very selective at the plate, and the approach paid off.
Make no mistake, New York's pitching wasn't great, but Jays' hitters didn't chase either, which let the Yankees just dig themselves deeper and deeper in the hole. All that early work was important, too, as Toronto's initial lead evaporated when Brett Gardner connected on a three-run homer off starter Alek Manoah to tie things in the fifth.
Manoah wasn't super sharp—he walked allowed three runs and walked three batters in his 5 2/3 innings of work—but he did just enough to keep Toronto in the game. His changeup command was a big part of that.
Wins come in all different sizes, and, while not leading from the get-go, baseball's most powerful offense stayed patient, and then attacked in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to edge out a victory in a tight ballgame.
But that's what playoff teams do, they find ways to win. After securing three straight at Yankee Stadium to move within 1.5 games of the second AL wild-card, Toronto sure looks like a playoff team, and their ascent up the standings backs that up.
More must-reads: