Happ becomes 17-game winner as Jays beat Yankees
NEW YORK -- J.A. Happ pitched 7 1/3 innings and became the first 17-game winner in the major leagues Wednesday afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees.
Melvin Upton Jr. hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who have scored 19 runs since Tuesday's 42-minute rain delay. Ezequiel Carrera had an RBI double, Darwin Barney had a two-run double and Russell Martin added an RBI single as Toronto became the sixth team to win five straight series against the Yankees in New York.
Happ (17-3) allowed three home runs for the second time this season and sixth time in his career. He won his 11th straight decision despite allowing four runs and seven hits.
The Blue Jays won a game started by Happ for the 12th straight time and he became the third Toronto left-hander to reach 17 wins, joining David Wells and Jimmy Key.
Besides getting their ninth win in 12 meetings with the Yankees, Toronto also lost third baseman Josh Donaldson to a jammed right thumb. Donaldson started at designated hitter and injured his thumb during his final at-bat in the sixth inning.
Three innings earlier, Donaldson tossed his bat after striking out and manager John Gibbons became angered. Gibbons and Donaldson began yelling at each other before Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Thole interceded.
Rookie Gary Sanchez, Starlin Castro and Chase Headley homered off Happ for the Yankees, who are 7 1/2 games out of first place.
CC Sabathia (7-10) allowed seven runs and nine hits in six innings. He also had 12 strikeouts.
The Blue Jays took a 3-0 lead with one out in the second on Carrerra's double off the left field wall and Barney's double down the left field line.
Sanchez opened the second with a home run to center field into Monument Park and Castro began the fourth by lining his 15th home run into the left field seats.
Toronto capitalized on a throwing error by Headley at third to prolong the fourth. Headley made the force play at third but his throw sailed over first baseman Tyler Austin's head.
Martin followed with an RBI single to right and Upton drove a 0-1 breaking ball into the right field seats for his first home run with Toronto.
Headley made it 7-3 with one out in the sixth and Aaron Judge's single off Joaquin Benoit in the eighth created a save situation. Roberto Osuna fanned Didi Gregorius for the final out of the eighth with two on and quickly finished off his 27th save in the ninth.
NOTES: According to YES Network research, C Gary Sanchez (23 years, 259 days), is the youngest Yankee to bat fourth before Sept. 1 since Don Mattingly on July 31, 1984 (23 years, 103 days). ... OF Kevin Pillar (right thumb) continued doing baseball activities and will have a full workout before Toronto's game Friday in Cleveland. He could do a rehab stint with Class A Dunedin and return next week when eligible. ... Tuesday's game marked the fourth time in baseball history opposing starting catchers had two home runs. It was the first time in the American League and the first time since Sept. 29, 2009, when Arizona's Miguel Montero and San Francisco's Bengie Molina did it. ... The Yankees optioned LHP Chasen Shreve to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre and recalled RHP Kirby Yates from there.