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 New York extended its 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.
“It’s almost like we’re losing every day, we’re coming out here so hungry,” left-hander Jordan Montgomery said. “We’re just having the memory of a goldfish.”
The Yankees opened an 11-game lead over second-place Toronto in the AL East.
“It’s not something that you want to get too caught up in here in the middle of June,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You just want to keep stacking up as many victories as you can.”
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.
Montgomery (3-1) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 in his last five outings.
“That’s a tough lineup for him to go through with all those really good right-handed hitters,” Boone said. “He was in command.”
New York, which outhit Toronto 14-5, has won Mongomery’s past five starts.
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.
“When I get hit by pitches, I feel like it really locks me in more, just staying on the ball,” Rizzo said. “The last few weeks, I just needed to get hit. I went in a big slump of not getting hit for two or three weeks. It ended up being an inside joke in here. The way I take pitches is different, I guess.”
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.
“That’s kind of the knockout blow right there,” Boone said.
Rizzo’s sixth career slam, a 435-foot drive, was 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 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.
“We know we’re better than what we showed tonight,” Stripling said
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.
COMEBACK KINGS
New York leads the major leagues with 19 comeback wins this season.
IMPERFECT 10
Toronto pitchers allowed 10 or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since doing so in three straight, Sept. 15-17, 2020, against the Yankees.
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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