Blue Jays eliminate Yankees, advance to 1st ALCS since 2016

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.

Toronto eliminated the New York Yankees with a 5-2 victory Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to win its ALDS three games to one.

Eight Blue Jays relievers combined to strike out 10 batters while holding New York to only six hits. Closer Jeff Hoffman got the final four outs, and after allowing an Aaron Judge RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, he struck out Cody Bellinger to clinch the series.

Nathan Lukes drove in the winning run with a two-run single in the seventh following a Jazz Chisholm Jr. error, and Myles Straw added some insurance with an RBI knock in the eighth.

Lukes went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the victory. Addison Barger went 3-for-5, Ernie Clement had a pair of hits and scored twice, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. capped off his torrid series with an RBI single in the first inning.

Toronto outscored New York 34-19 over the four games, aided in large part by a dominant performance during the first two contests at home. The Blue Jays’ 34 runs are the fourth-most scored by any team during its first four games of a postseason, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Judge, who brought the Yankees back into the series with a monster Game 3, went 2-for-4 and was walked intentionally once in his team’s season-ending loss. He hit a sizzling .600/.684/.933 against Toronto but was New York’s only position player with more than four hits during the series.

Yankees starter Cam Schlittler struck out only two in 6 1/3 innings of work and took the loss after being charged with four runs (two earned) on eight hits. Devin Williams allowed the series-winning hit after relieving Schlittler in the seventh.

Toronto now returns home to rest up and await either the Seattle Mariners or Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. The Mariners and Tigers play a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday in Seattle.

Game 1 of the ALCS is scheduled for Sunday at Rogers Centre.

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