The New York Yankees made franchise history on Thursday night, coming from behind to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays in a third consecutive game. According to STATS, it marked the first time the Yankees had ever swept a three-plus-game road series after trailing in the seventh inning or later in each contest.
To recap, the Yankees trailed ....
5-3 in the seventh inning of game one;
2-1 in the seventh inning of game two;
And 4-3 in the seventh inning of game three.
Nevertheless, New York found a way to win all three tilts.
The Yankees rallied on Thursday on the strength of a two-run homer by Giancarlo Stanton, his 13th of the season. Chris Gittens, playing in his eighth career game, later plated three runs. First, with a two-run single in the seventh that gave the Yankees a 7-4 lead. Then, in the ninth, with a sacrifice fly that put New York ahead by an 8-4 score. That would eventually prove to be the final.
Outfielder Aaron Judge notched a single and a walk, but his most notable contribution to the victory was a home-run-robbing catch in the sixth inning that kept the Jays' lead to one:
#AllRise for a robbery 👨⚖️ pic.twitter.com/jDLGBo1Vt4
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 18, 2021
New York's bullpen also deserves credit for the victory. Starter Michael King gave way after allowing three runs on five hits across 4 ⅓ innings. Four Yankees relievers -- Lucas Luetge, Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Zack Britton -- combined to yield one run on five hits over the remaining 4 ⅔ innings. Those four pitchers notched six of New York's seven total strikeouts on the sevening.
The Yankees, who are now 36-32 on the season, also recorded their second triple play of the season on Thursday. It was the first 1-3-6-2-5-6 triple play in Major League Baseball history. You can read more about that play by clicking here.
