Blue Jays clobber Yankees, push Bombers to brink in MLB playoffs

The Toronto Blue Jays administered a historic two-game beatdown against the New York Yankees, unleashing a special rookie and a relentless offensive attack before getting out of Canada with a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series.

Behind a suffocating no-hit effort from Trey Yesavage, who was making just his fourth major league start, and an offense that lashed five home runs, the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees, 13-7, in Game 2 of the ALDS before an overflow crowd at Rogers Centre.

Toronto, the top seed in these AL playoffs, can eliminate New York in Game 3 on Tuesday. Right-hander Shane Bieber will oppose Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón.

The proceedings in the Bronx almost have to be tenser than the laughers up north.

The Blue Jays won Game 1, 10-1, and outscored the Yankees 23-8 in the two games as New York gave up 10 or more runs in consecutive playoff games for the first time in their history.

In Game 2, it was the Yesavage show for the first five-plus innings, as he struck out 11, walked just one and allowed no hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Yankees were helpless against his split-finger pitch, flailing at balls in the dirt and looking at splits he landed in the strike zone.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero’s grand slam and Daulton Varsho’s two-homer, two-double performance staked Toronto to leads of 11-0 after four innings and 13-2 after six. They chased Yankee ace Max Fried after three-plus innings and hit four homers off long man Will Warren, who gamely nudged the game into the eighth inning.

New York’s five-run seventh forced Toronto to deploy seven relief pitchers, but only one number mattered in the end: The Blue Jays are up 2-0, with three chances to eliminate the defending AL champs.