Rice hits two-run homer in 10th, Yankees beat Blue Jays 4-3 to avoid sweep

By: Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press Posted: 3:47 PM CDT Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026

TORONTO - Ben Rice slammed a monster 438-foot, two-run homer to right-centre field in the 10th inning to salvage a 4-3 win for the New York Yankees in the three-game series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

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TORONTO – Ben Rice slammed a monster 438-foot, two-run homer to right-centre field in the 10th inning to salvage a 4-3 win for the New York Yankees in the three-game series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

The deciding blow was Rice’s 33rd homer of the season, but only his second in August.

Toronto reliever Braydon Fisher (3-4) gave up the Rice blast. Tim Hill gave up a run in the bottom half of the 10th, but picked up his second save.

New York Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) tags out Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daz Cameron (23) at third base during fifth inning American League MLB baseball action in Toronto on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

New York’s David Bednar (6-3) pitched a sloppy ninth inning, but got the win. The Blue Jays tied the game in the ninth with a sacrifice fly to centre from Ernie Clement.

Toronto starter Dylan Cease departed after George Lombard Jr. smashed the righty’s 104th pitch off the left-field wall for a one-out double in the seventh. He scored on Jose Caballero’s two-out single off lefty reliever Brendon Little, who returned from paternity leave.

Cease allowed two hits with three walks and struck out 10 as the Blue Jays (61-65) had their mini two-game win streak halted. The Yankees (69-55) snapped a three-game slide before 42,351 at Rogers Centre.

New York opened the scoring in the third inning without a hit. Caballero led off with a walk, took second on a groundout, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly from Luis Garcia Jr. After the Caballero walk, Cease retired 11 in a row.

Toronto scored its first run in the fifth off lefty Ryan Weathers. Newcomer Daz Cameron belted a one-out double into the left-field corner to score Kazuma Okamoto.

Weathers went 7 1/3 innings, giving up a run on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Takeaways

Blue Jays: The 29-year-old Cameron made his season debut, playing in left field. He began the season in South Korea with the Doosan Bears.

Yankees: Weathers has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 starts.

Key moment

With one out and runners on first and third in the sixth, Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Key stat

Making his 233rd start, Cease’s sixth-inning-ending strikeout was the 200th of the season, making him the fastest Blue Jay in club history to reach the milestone. He has 200 or more strikeouts in six consecutive years.

Up next

The Blue Jays have Monday off before beginning a three-game series in Tampa Bay against the Rays on Tuesday. No starters have been named, but it is Jose Soriano’s (9-6) turn for Toronto and Drew Rasmussen’s (12-5) for the Rays.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2026.