It wasn’t until the 10th inning, with Jose Bautista driving a Branden Pinder 1-2 fastball into the left field seats, that the Jays were able to solve the pitching duel and take a 2-1 win before 42,839 at Yankee Stadium.
NEW YORK—Jose Bautista exited the trainer’s room with an ice pack strapped to his shoulder and a reason to boast about his game-winning home run.
After all, it wasn’t just another homer. The blast, in the 10th inning no less, vaulted Toronto to a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees in the opener of a weekend series that has gripped Toronto ball fans with playoff fever.
A statement? Yes, but not about Bautista himself.
“The home run is not what I’m concerned about,” Bautista said about his 25th of the season and, arguably, the most important of the season to date, which came off reliever Branden Pinder on a 1-2 pitch.
“Winning the first game in this series, on the road, that’s the statement I think. Everyone knows what our offence is capable of, and we have David Price going tomorrow (Saturday). I don’t think they (Yankees) feel good right now. I’ve been in that spot before so trust me, it doesn’t feel good.”
That alone was enough to underline the significance of the Jays win and the fact they hold the hammer in this three-game series, with Price going Saturday. Beyond that, Toronto established the fact that even in this clash of the only two major league teams with 500 runs or more scored, it was a slight upper hand in pitching and defence that made the difference for Toronto on Friday night.
Back on the scoreboard, which players say they don’t necessarily look at right now, the Jays picked up a full game on the Yankees, climbing to within 3 1/2 games of the division lead and cutting their deficit in the loss column to five games.
Jays manager John Gibbons is definitely enjoying the ride — his first real run at a post-season in his two tenures as Toronto’s manager — but he saw one detail that stood out among a host of them that added up to the big win.