Giancarlo Stanton hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the third inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 for their eighth win in 10 games to start the season
NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the third inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Sunday for their eighth win in 10 games to start the season.
Stanton gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead with a 417-foot home run by Bowden Francis (0-2) that rumbled against a commercial under the second deck in left field.
Stanton fell behind 0-2 in the count before turning on a 2-2 inside fastball and driving the ball 110.6 mph for his 11th career slam, his first since September 2022. He took a few steps, as he watched the ball then turned his bat.
“It’s just a good spot, and you know it right off the bat,” Stanton said.
Stanton also homered Saturday in a three-hit game followed by a 3-for-24 start. He won in back-to-back games for the first time since going deep in three straight games last Aug. 2-4.
“It was a shock,” manager Aaron Boone said. “One of those that you know right away and I know I reacted to it. Just a really good at-bat and obviously an inning that we built and guys just had really good at-bats in front of him to set up that situation.”
The Yankees have won their first three series and are on their way to their best 10-game start since 2020. New York won its first three series in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 162-game schedule began in 1961.
“We’ve been able to win games in a lot of different ways,” Boone said.
Anthony Volpe had three singles and stole two bases in the eighth before scoring on Osvaldo Cabrera’s base hit. Juan Soto added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
New York starter Luis Gill walked Alejandro Kirk with the bases loaded in the third, and Anthony Rizzo preceded Stanton’s hit with the tying walk.
Fans in the crowd of 40,569 chanted mockingly at plate umpire Angel Hernandez on some of his strike ball calls. Gill was upset by a bases-loaded walk to Beau Bichette in the third and Gleyber Torres with a third strikeout in the first after Francis appeared to retire.
“That he came back, had time and finished his move,” Boone said. “Definitely one of those I want to look into and get a proper explanation of what’s allowed there.”
Jake Cousins (1-0) picked up his first Yankees win and first major league win since 2022, giving up Bichette’s RBI double in the fifth, a run scored by Gill and an unearned run in the sixth after as third baseman Osvaldo Cabrera misplayed George Springer’s grounder for an error.
Francis gave up five runs in three innings.
“Walks hurt, especially against a lineup like that,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “So he just lost the zone and a two-shot mid-range to Stanton.”
TRAINING ROOM
Blue Jays: RHP Alec Manoa (right shoulder inflammation) allowed seven runs, five hits and four walks with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings in a rehab game for Class A Dunedin. Manoa threw 26 of 58 shots. … RHP Eric Swanson at Illinois since March 25 with right forearm inflammation, two outs in the fifth inning at Dunedin. … RHP Jordan Romano (right elbow inflammation) threw 21 innings in a simulated game and expects to appear in a minor league game this week. … 1B/DH Joey Votto (right ankle) took defensive drills Saturday at the minor league complex in Dunedin.
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow inflammation) will bat for the next few days, possibly as early as Monday. It will be his first throw since the injury. … INF DJ LeMahieu (contused right leg) fielded ground balls to third base, made throws to first base and also made a light run between first and second.
NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP José Berríos (1-0, 2.25 ERA) faces Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (0-2, 6.75) Monday night at home to Toronto.
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (0-1, 6.30) faces Miami LHP Jesus Luzardo (0-1, 4.35) in the opener of a three-game series. The game at Yankee Stadium was postponed for the evening due to a solar eclipse.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB