Ben Rice hits tiebreaking homer in 10th as Yankees beat Blue Jays 4-3 to avoid three-game sweep

TORONTO (AP) — Ben Rice hit a tiebreaking home run in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.

New York’s four runs were twice as many as they had scored in the previous three games, all losses.

Rice’s first hit of the series was a two-run homer, his33rd this season, off Braydon Fisher (3-4).

Tim Hill gave up an RBI single to Andrés Giménez in the bottom of the 10th but held on for his second save in six chances.

Toronto erased a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth but David Bednar (6-3) stranded the winning run at second base.

Josh Smith reached on Rice’s fielding error to begin the ninth and Alejandro Kirk walked to put the tying run in scoring position. Brandon Valenzuela ran for Kirk and, one out later, both runners moved up on a wild pitch before Ernie Clement tied it with a sacrifice fly.

Bednar sent it to extras by retiring Kazuma Okamoto on a grounder. The blown save was Bednar’s third.

Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers allowed one run and six hits in 7 1/3 innings, retiring the first 10 batters in order. He walked one and struck out four.

Toronto’s Dylan Cease allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Cease struck out 10, reaching double digits for the ninth time in 23 starts and boosting his AL-leading total to 201. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski leads the majors with 210.

Cease has fanned 200 or more in each of the past six seasons.

Up next

Yankees: RHP Will Warren (8-6, 4.42 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday at Baltimore.

Blue Jays: RHP José Soriano (9-6, 3.16 ERA) is scheduled to start at Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

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