By IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo capped the Yankees’ eight-run fifth inning with a grand slam off the facing of the third deck in right, and the New York Yankees extended their winning streak to eight with a 12-3 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
New York has won 15 of its last 16 and at 48-16 is off to its best start since 1998. The Yankees opened an 11-game lead over second-place Toronto in the AL East.
Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Joey Gallo also homered for the Yankees, who lead the major leagues with 105 home runs and have allowed 49, one more than the big league-low total of San Francisco entering Friday. New York has 17 homers in its past six games.
Jordan Montgomery (3-1) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 in his last five outings. New York, which outhit Toronto 14-5, has won his last five starts.
Ross Stripling (3-2) led 1-0 in the fourth, extending his shutout streak to 16 2/3 innings, before Gleyber Torres hit an RBI double and scored on Kyle Higashioka’s grounder.
New York set a season high for runs in an inning in the fifth, when Rizzo was hit by a pitch leading off and Stanton followed with his 14th homer this season and the 361st of his career, tying Joe DiMaggio. LeMahieu hit the next pitch for a 5-1 lead.
Gallo’s RBI double chased Trent Thornton, and Rizzo homered on a thigh-high curveball from Trevor Richards, causing catcher Gabriel Moreno to droop his head. Rizzo’s sixth career slam, a 435-foot drive, was his his first slam for the Yankees and 17th home run this season. He has homered six times in 13 games, including a game-ending drive against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Gallo, who had three RBIs, added a a two-run homer in the ninth off Casey Lawrence, Gallo’s ninth home run this season.
LeMahieu had three hits and Rizzo reached base four times.
It was the second straight blowout defeat for the Blue Jays, who gave up six runs in the third inning Thursday in a 10-2 loss to Baltimore. It’s the first time this season Toronto has allowed its opponent to score double digit runs in consecutive games.
Alejandro Kirk hit his sixth home run in the sixth as the Blue Jays lost to the Yankees for the seventh time in 10 games this year.
Stripling gave up two runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Luis Severino will start Sunday’s series finalem manager Aaron Boone said. Severino was cleared to rejoin the team Thursday night, hours after being scratched from his scheduled start against Tampa Bay and put on the COVID-19 IL. After the Yankees beat the Rays Thursday, Boone said Severino had tested negative. Sunday will be Severino’s 100th career start.
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (right foot) was not available. Bichette left Thursday’s game after seven innings, one inning after fouling a pitch off his foot. … 3B Matt Chapman returned after sitting out Thursday because of a sore left wrist.
ROSTER MOVES
Toronto optioned RHP Jeremy Beasley and LHP Matt Gage to Triple-A Buffalo and recalled RHP Casey Lawrence and INF Otto Lopez from the Bisons.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Jameson Taillon (7-1, 2.93) starts Saturday afternoon against Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah (8-1, 1.67). Manoah is 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.
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