Breaking: Yankees key player returns as they look to take series vs. Jays.

Manager John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays had had enough after watching Aaron Judge launch his 41st home run of the season in the opening inning on Saturday. With two outs and nobody on, he purposefully walked the New York Yankees slugger one inning later. “After the game, I honestly didn’t feel like watching him swing.” Schneider remarked. “Well, that was it. We discussed the need to exercise extreme caution with him, and as I mentioned before, I believe that’s what may go wrong when you’re genuinely trying to be careful.”

In the first two games of this three-game series between the Yankees and Blue Jays, Judge has hit a home run. When the American League East rivals square off in the rubber game of this series to wrap up their season set on Sunday afternoon, he hopes to see more huge swings while Toronto tries to figure out how to get him out. In a clash of right-handers, the Blue Jays will send youngster Yariel Rodriguez (1-4, 4.31) to the mound against the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (3-2, 5.40 ERA).

With an 8-3 victory on Saturday, the Yankees even the season series at six games apiece. When Judge connected off Jose Berrios for his 16th home run of the season in the first inning, he matched the club record set by Babe Ruth in 1927.

The Yankees’ manager, Aaron Boone, stated, “Things like that happen every now and then; it’s on us to take advantage.” For the 70th time, Judge was able to reach base more than once. He has hit six home runs in the last eight games and nine in the last 17. Over the last 17 games, Judge is hitting.421 (24-for-57), good for an overall average of.321 with 103 RBIs. Carlos Rodon, the starting pitcher for New York, remarked, “That’s a pretty good season for a lot of people, but for him he’s halfway through.”

Judge launched his most recent tirade as the Yankees triumphed for the sixth time in seven games following a 23-of-33 loss. Although Judge is hot enough to call for an intentional walk with no bases, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is just as hot. On Sunday, the first baseman for the Blue Jays went 3-for-4 and hit his 22nd home run. He’s on a 16-game hitting streak, upping his average to.318 while hitting.525 (31-for-59) with nine home runs and eighteen RBIs. “It’s fun to watch him right now, and all of a sudden it’s 15 homers in the last month, something crazy,” Schneider stated. “It’s what he’s capable of.”

Guerrero’s most recent huge day happened in a game where the Blue Jays were down five runs, committed two errors, and had a loaded ninth inning before George Springer grounded out. After fouling a ball off his left shin on Friday, Springer was designated hitter for the first game, but he might play outfield on Sunday. Guerrero is hitting.344 (11-for-32) against Cole, who is back after being scratched from Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia owing to overall weariness.

For the first time since July 24, when he gave up six runs on eight hits—three of which were home runs—during five and a third innings of a 12-3 home loss to the New York Mets, Cole is beginning. at his 17 career starts versus the Blue Jays, he is 9-2 with a 2.73 ERA. On June 30, at Toronto, he held them to one run on three hits in five innings. The Blue Jays are hoping that Rodriguez’s 11th career start goes longer than the first game of their doubleheader in Baltimore on Monday, when he gave up four runs on four walks and one hit in only two innings pitched on 43 pitches.

Prior to his struggles against the Orioles, Rodriguez had a 2.01 ERA in his previous four appearances and was 1-1.