DJ LeMahieu came fresh off the bench to pinch hit and did exactly what the Yankees needed him to do: walk it off. Facing Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, LeMahieu’s single won the game.
The win was a relief for the Yankees. Anthony Volpe’s home run gave New York a 2-0 lead in the eighth. Yet, Toronto tied it up in the ninth on Danny Jansen’s pinch-hit home run.
And just like Michael Jordan, the Yankees took that personally. Anthony Rizzo led off the ninth with a double off the left field wall that almost cleared the fence. Pinch runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa advanced to third on Gleyber Torres’ infield single. Willie Calhoun drew a walk, and cue two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu.
The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET.