Kevin Gausman tied a season high by pitching eight innings for his first win in nearly a month, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered as part of a four-hit showing and the Toronto Blue Jays continued their domination of the host New York Yankees with a 7-1 victory on Friday night.
The Blue Jays (82-59) beat the Yankees for the eighth time in 11 meetings this season. Toronto has won seven of the past eight meetings and moved four games ahead of the Yankees (78-63) in the American League East.
Gausman allowed three of his four hits in the final two innings of his fourth eight-inning start this year. The right-hander struck out five, walked one, got nine groundouts and earned his first win since beating Colorado Aug. 6.
Gausman (9-10) gave up Giancarlo Stanton’s 448th career homer in the second and retired 11 straight before Ryan McMahon walked to start the sixth. He ended the sixth by getting three quick outs on Jose Caballero, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice.
Gausman allowed singles to Aaron Judge and Stanton in the seventh before striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and retiring Paul Goldschmidt. He allowed a two-out single to Trent Grisham in the eighth before getting Rice on a groundout.
Guerrero produced his 10th career four-hit game and second this season. His big night included a single in the first inning, when the Blue Jays constantly fouled off pitches from rookie Cam Schlittler (2-3) and took a 3-0 lead.
Guerrero scored from first when he slid into the plate headfirst on Bo Bichette’s broken-bat double down the left field line. Nathan Lukes added a two-run single on a ball that fell in front of Judge, who played right field for the first time since July 25.
The Jays loaded the bases in the second when Guerrero singled as left fielder Cody Bellinger could not complete a shoestring catch. Bichette followed with a sacrifice fly that scored George Springer, who was hit by a pitch after replay overturned his strikeout on a foul tip.
Guerrero put Toronto up 5-1 when he lifted a fastball from Ryan Yarbrough into the right-center-field seats to open the fifth.
Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho contributed RBI doubles in the final two innings as the Blue Jays won their third straight.
Schlittler lasted a career-low 1 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on five hits. Forty of his 66 pitches came in the first frame.
