NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a loud 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 drive off Bowden Francis (0-2) that clanked against the facing of an advertisem*nt below 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 couple steps as he watched the ball, then flipped his bat.
“It’s just a good spot and you know it off the bat,” Stanton said.
Stanton also homered Saturday in a three-hit game that followed a 3-for-24 start. He homered in consecutive games for the first time since going deep in three straight games last Aug. 2-4.
“It was a jolt,” manager Aaron Boone said. “One of those 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 that situation up.”
The Yankees have won their first three series and are off to their best 10-game start since 2020. New York has 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 a base hit by Oswaldo Cabrera. Juan Soto added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
New York starter Luis Gil walked Alejandro Kirk with the bases loaded in the third and Anthony Rizzo preceded Stanton’s drive with a tying walk.
Fans in the crowd of 40,569 chanted derisively at plate umpire Ángel Hernández over some of his ball-strike calls. Gil was upset with the bases-loaded walk to Bo Bichette in the third and Gleyber Torres with a called third strike in the first after Francis appeared to step off.
“That he got back, had time and completed his move,” Boone said. “Definitely one of those that I want to look into and get the exact explanation of what is allowed there.”
Jake Cousins (1-0) got his first Yankees win and first major league victory since 2022, giving up Bichette’s RBI double in the fifth, a run charged to Gil, and an unearned run in the sixth after third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera misplayed George Springer’s grounder for an error.
Francis gave up five runs in three innings.
“The walks hurt, especially against that kind of lineup,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “So he just lost the zone and a middle-middle two-strike pitch to Stanton.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: RHP Alek Manoah (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. Manoah threw 26 of 58 pitches for strikes. ... RHP Erik Swanson on the IL since March 25 with right forearm inflammation, struck out two in the fifth inning at Dunedin. … RHP Jordan Romano (right elbow inflammation) threw 21 pitches 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 play catch in the next few days, possibly as soon as Monday. It will be his first time throwing since getting injured. … INF DJ LeMahieu (bruised right foot) fielded ground balls at third base, made throws to first base and also did some light running between first and second.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP José Berríos (1-0, 2.25 ERA) opposes Seattle RHP Luis Castillo (0-2, 6.75) Monday night in Toronto’s home opener.
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (0-1, 6.30) faces Miami LHP Jesús Luzardo (0-1, 4.35) in the opener of a three-game series. The game at Yankee Stadium was pushed back to the evening because of a solar eclipse.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
