The New York Yankees nearly pulled off a dramatic late comeback, but the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 4-3 victory Saturday at Yankee Stadium behind an outstanding performance from Dylan Cease.
Cease carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before New York finally broke through, while Nathan Lukes delivered what became the decisive home run in the eighth. Toronto's victory evened the three-game series at one game apiece.
Dylan Cease Flirts With History Against Yankees
For most of the afternoon, the Yankees couldn't solve Cease.
The Toronto right-hander took his no-hit bid into the seventh inning and came within four outs of completing it.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. finally ended the bid with a two-out single to right on Cease's 106th pitch.
Austin Wells followed with an RBI single, cutting Toronto's lead to 3-1 and ending Cease's afternoon.
Cease finished with 6⅔ innings, two hits allowed, one earned run, five walks and eight strikeouts while throwing 111 pitches.
It was another frustrating near-miss for Cease, who also lost a no-hit bid in the ninth inning earlier this season.
Blue Jays Build Early Lead
Toronto didn't have trouble generating offense.
George Springer opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. Rookie Charles McAdoo added another RBI single in the fourth before Lukes drove home Alejandro Kirk in the fifth.
That gave Toronto a 3-0 advantage while Cease continued shutting down the Yankees.
The Blue Jays finished with 15 hits compared with only four for New York. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. contributed two hits in his return from the seven-day concussion list.
Nathan Lukes Delivers Huge Eighth-Inning Home Run
Lukes wasn't finished.
With Toronto leading 3-1 in the eighth inning, he launched a solo home run to right field to extend the Blue Jays' advantage to 4-1.
That insurance run proved critical.
The Yankees immediately responded.
Luis García Jr. blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, bringing New York within one run at 4-3.
Suddenly, a game Toronto had controlled became a potential Yankees comeback.
Yankees Fall Short in Ninth
New York had one final opportunity.
Louie Varland entered for Toronto and protected the one-run advantage, striking out Trent Grisham with a runner on third base to end the game.
Varland earned his 29th save in 30 opportunities, securing Cease's eighth victory of the season.
The Yankees fell to 73-56, while Toronto improved to 64-67.
More importantly for New York, the loss kept the Yankees three games behind Tampa Bay in the American League East standings entering Sunday's action.
Ryan Weathers Injury Adds Another Concern for Yankees
The loss wasn't New York's only problem.
Starting pitcher Ryan Weathers left the game after 3⅓ innings with left forearm discomfort.
Before exiting, Weathers surrendered eight hits and two runs. The Yankees said he would undergo additional imaging.
With the postseason race entering its final stretch, the health of another starting pitcher could become an important storyline for New York.
Yankees and Blue Jays Set for Series Finale
The series concludes Sunday with the Yankees looking to rebound and take two of three from Toronto.
New York is scheduled to send Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.22 ERA) to the mound against Toronto's José Soriano (10-6, 3.23 ERA).
For the Yankees, Sunday's game carries additional importance.
They're still firmly in the playoff race, but with Tampa Bay leading the AL East, every game becomes increasingly valuable as September approaches.
Saturday belonged to Dylan Cease.
He didn't complete the no-hitter, but he came close enough to silence Yankee Stadium for most of the afternoon—and helped Toronto escape the Bronx with a dramatic 4-3 victory.
Get more MLB news here.