Bronx, NY – Lyle Overbay belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting the New York Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays and a sweep of the four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Brennan Boesch also homered for New York, which came from behind to win each game of the series. The Yankees have won four straight and swept a four-game set from Toronto for the first time since Sept. 18-21, 1995.
Adam Lind and Maicer Izturis each drove in a run for the Blue Jays, who have dropped six of their last seven and eight of their last 10.
Toronto starter R.A. Dickey (2-4) took the loss, allowing three runs on just four hits with a walk and four strikeouts in seven innings. The knuckleballer didn't suffer his fourth loss last year until Aug. 15 en route to a 20-6 season with the Mets that ended with an NL Cy Young award.
"It has obviously been incredibly disappointing for everybody," Dickey said of his team's struggles. "The beauty about baseball is it's just one month and we've got five left, so there's still time."
Dickey had allowed just a solo homer to Boesch and a single to Overbay in the second inning, then didn't surrender another hit until Travis Hafner led off the seventh with a base hit to center. The next two hitters flied out harmlessly, but Overbay drilled a pitch into the bullpen in right-center field for his third homer to put the Yankees ahead.
"We had four hits and two went for homers," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
The rally made a winner of Boone Logan (1-1), who worked a scoreless seventh in relief of Phil Hughes. The Yankee starter went the first six innings and surrendered just two runs on seven hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.
David Robertson set down the Blue Jays on seven pitches in the eighth and Mariano Rivera, after a day off on Saturday, closed the door with a perfect ninth for his ninth save in as many opportunities.
"The pitching's been good," added Girardi. "We felt like we were going to have to win a lot of close games and we've been able to do that."
Boesch put the Yankees on the board in the second inning with his second home run of the season, but the Blue Jays tied it in the fourth with three straight two-out hits. A dribbler up the third base line by Edwin Encarnacion started it and Melky Cabrera blooped a single to left before Lind snuck a roller through the infield for an RBI hit.
Toronto moved in front in the sixth. Jose Bautista doubled down the left field line and scored on a two-out double off the right field wall by Izturis.
Game Notes
The Yankees improved to 4-0 in one-run games and are the only team in the majors without a loss such games ... New York is 6-1 against Toronto this season ... Yankees infielder Kevin Youkilis was out of the lineup for the seventh time in the last eight games because of a back issue. He started Saturday's game ... Eight of the nine starters in the Blue Jays lineup finished with a hit ... Boesch started in right field and Ichiro Suzuki started in center, giving Brett Gardner a rest. Gardner played center as defensive replacement in the eighth and Suzuki moved back to right ... The Yankees will continue a 10-game homestand on Monday with the start of a three-game series against Houston ... Toronto will return home Tuesday for the start of a three-game set against Boston.
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