McAdoo Turns Up the Clutch as Blue Jays Bury the Yankees 4-1 North of the Border

TORONTO — Somebody forgot to tell Charles McAdoo that this was supposed to be a rebuild. With six-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. watching from the shelf, McAdoo stepped into the spotlight Saturday and delivered a monster night — two hits, an RBI single, and the tiebreaking double that cracked this game wide open.

The result: The Toronto Blue Jays kept their playoff push rolling with a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees, their 13th victory in 19 games. McAdoo made sure the Jays didn't miss a beat without their superstar slugger.

Seventh-Inning Chaos

Game tied at 1. Pressure rising. Pinch hitter Ernie Clement saw a pitch he liked and didn't think twice, smoking a single to open the seventh on the first pitch from Brent Headrick. Then McAdoo grabbed his bat and made the wall his personal canvas for the night — an RBI double that put Toronto on top, 2-1.

The Jays weren't done. In the eighth, McAdoo and Nathan Lukes each ripped RBI knocks off Tim Hill to slam the door shut on a two-run insurance rally.

Pitching Grit & Debut Dreams

The Blue Jays are throwing bodies at opponents and seeing nothing but outs. Spencer Miles (5-2) grabbed the win as the fifth of seven relievers, and Louis Varland slammed the door in the ninth — fanning the side for his 28th save in 29 chances.

Earlier, lefty Ricky Tiedemann took the mound for his MLB debut after Braydon Fisher mowed through a scoreless first. Tiedemann gave up a leadoff single to Spencer Jones, watched him swipe second and score on a George Lombard Jr. knock, but then locked in and retired the next four batters. The Yankees' early lead? Toast. Alejandro Kirk tied it with a two-out single in the third, and the Jays never looked back.

Yankees in Freefall

New York is officially sputtering. Four hits — all singles — and a third straight loss. In those three games, the Yankees have scraped together a grand total of two runs. That's not a skid. That's a full-on brake failure.

Starter Cam Schlittler did his job — one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings — but it was his fourth straight winless start, and he remains winless in five career outings vs. Toronto.

Vlad Jr. Watch

This all came one day after Guerrero Jr. landed on the seven-day IL with concussion symptoms following Friday night's collision with Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. at third. McAdoo got the start in his place, and he answered the bell like a prize fighter.

Up Next

The Jays go for the sweep Sunday with Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.40 ERA) on the bump against Yankees lefty Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.69). Given the vibe shift north of the border, buckle up — this Toronto squad is starting to believe.