Sep 6, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) looks on as a steady rain begins to fall during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Yankees Win Critical Blue Jays Series

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 4:34 PM ET

The New York Yankees were victorious in their rubber match against the Toronto Blue Jays, winning 4-3. They will take one day off before facing the Detroit Tigers.

The Yankees took an early lead with a first inning home run from Ben Rice to score Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger. Rice had gone 1-for-4 in the second game of the series while standing in for Paul Goldschmidt at first. Rice has been a powerful bat for the Yankees this season, with a .243/ .332/ .479 slash line, 23 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Anthony Volpe, second in the league in errors behind Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, logged his 19th error of the season during the game. Volpe has come under fire for his poor performance on defense this season, and the front office has been unflinching in their insistence on playing him at shortstop. Volpe had three strikeouts today, and received boos from the crowd.

Judge, who made his return to the outfield in this series, gave a mixed performance in the series finale. In the second inning he avoided throwing to home twice, instead tossing to Jazz Chisholm and Volpe on two slow throws, leading to speculation that Judge is not fully ready to play the position well. In the fourth inning, Judge made a diving catch to redeem himself. It remains to be seen if his arm can keep up with his ambition.

Mark Smith-Imagn Images

In the bottom of the third, Bellinger doubled to score Judge, taking the game to a 4-3 lead.

Starting pitcher Max Fried got through seven innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts, and left the game with the 4-3 lead before being replaced. Yankees reliever Devin Williams, notably unreliable in high-leverage positions this season, was put in for the eighth inning with the fragile lead on the line. He managed to make it out with just a single and a walk.

David Bednar pitched the ninth to close the game, securing his 22nd save. Bednar's poor first performance following his acquisition at the trade deadline appears more and more to have been a fluke, and the Yankees' closing spot may belong to Bednar. In their second game of this series, Bednar earned his 21st save. Bednar has a 2.47 ERA this season.

The Yankees are now only two games behind the Blue Jays and two games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

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