Brett Gardner hit two home runs and had a season-best five RBIs, left-hander James Paxton won a career-best ninth straight start and the visiting New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 13-3 on Saturday afternoon.
Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit and Mike Ford also homered, and DJ LeMahieu had four hits for the Yankees, who have split the first two games of the three-game series.
New York outhit Toronto 19-9.
Paxton (14-6) allowed one run, three hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings.
Toronto starter Jacob Waguespack (4-5) allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out four.
Gardner doubled after Voit walked and Gio Urshela singled to give the Yankees (98-52) a 1-0 lead in the second.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the third. LeMahieu singled and took third on Aaron Judge's single. LeMahieu was then thrown out in a rundown between third and home on a grounder to third by Torres. Voit then hit a ground-rule RBI double to right to score Judge.
Gardner led off the fourth with his first home run of the game, then added a three-run shot, his career-best 25th, against Brock Stewart with one out in the fifth. Torres was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Voit walked.
The Blue Jays (58-91) scored on Bo Bichette's sacrifice fly to right in the bottom of the fifth to end Paxton's 19 2/3 innings scoreless streak.
Stewart allowed back-to-back homers in the sixth. Torres hit a two-run shot for his 37th of the season and Voit hit his 21st.
Toronto reliever Jordan Romano was helped from the field in the eighth when he injured his right ankle when Gardner's comebacker appeared to hit him on the glove. Romano rolled his ankle as he spun to deflect the ball, but was able to pick up the ball and throw to second for the forceout. Justin Shafer finished the inning and allowed four runs in the ninth, two on pinch hitter Ford's 11th homer.
Toronto's Richard Urena hit a two-run double against Ryan Dull in the bottom of the ninth.
--Field Level Media