Yankees blow two-run lead on ground ball barrage in frustrating loss to Blue Jays

It was not death by a thousand paper cuts for the Yankees, but almost. 

More like death by four ground balls to the hole between shortstop and third base, which turned a two-run lead into a two-run deficit in the sixth inning. 

The frustrating sequence, which also included a pair of errors, was enough to sink the Yankees in a 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Monday night at a sold-out Rogers Centre. 

Cody Bellinger homered in the eighth inning to pull the Yankees (48-36) within a run, and then they put runners on first and second with one out. But they could not cash in, falling to the Blue Jays (46-38) in the opener of a four-game set to finish a tough June with a 13-14 record. 

“Not our best month, obviously,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We want to do better than that. That said, it’s part of it. It’s part of the season. I think it comes down to we had a really tough week [a six-game losing streak] that lends itself to this record. We know we’ve got to be a little bit better. Feel like overall, we’ve just got to find a way to finish some of these games.” 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a two-run single during the Blue Jays-Yankees game on June 30, 2025.

Adding to Monday’s misery was the news that Fernando Cruz has a high-grade oblique strain that is going to cost him a chunk of time while Trent Grisham left the game with left hamstring tightness that could lead to an IL stint. 

The Yankees entered the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead when Davis Schneider ended Carlos Rodón’s night with a leadoff double. 

Mark Leiter Jr. relieved Rodón to face Myles Straw, who hit a ground ball to the hole at shortstop, where Anthony Volpe made a terrific diving stop. But he then made an ill-advised throw to third trying to nab Schneider, with the misfire getting past Jazz Chisholm Jr. and allowing Straw to take second. 

Pinch hitter Nathan Lukes came up next and slapped a single through the hole to make it a 3-2 game. 

After Leiter got a strikeout, Ernie Clement hit yet another grounder to deep shortstop, where Volpe backhanded it and made a jump throw to first that was well late as the Blue Jays tied it up. 

“You’ve got to make that play,” Volpe said. 

Aaron Judge reacts during the Yankees-Blue Jays game on June 30, 2025.

Jonathan Loáisiga entered the game to face George Springer, who loaded the bases when he reached on catcher’s interference, with J.C. Escarra’s glove making contact with Springer’s swing. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then delivered the big hit, lacing a two-run rocket through the left side that gave the Blue Jays a 5-3 lead. 

“They did a good job putting the ball in play,” Boone said. “It’s something they’ve done well this year with a couple of their speed guys. The ball in the hole we’re not going to have a play, it gets by [Chisholm] and we give some free bases there. Another tough one in the hole. I thought Mark threw the ball pretty well. We weren’t getting outs on those balls, but obviously gave them a couple extra bases.” 

Max Scherzer pitches during the Blue Jays-Yankees game on June 30, 2025.

Max Scherzer, making only his third start of the year and second since returning from the injured list for a thumb issue, retired the first nine batters he faced before the Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on Chisholm’s two-run homer — his fourth in his past five games. 

After the Blue Jays got one run back off Rodón in the bottom of the fifth, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single to put the Yankees up 3-1 in the top of the sixth. 

Their best scoring chance after that came in the eighth following Bellinger’s leadoff home run. The Blue Jays intentionally walked Aaron Judge for the second time before Chisholm got a bunt down, trying to sneak it past the lefty reliever for a hit, only to have it result in a sacrifice that moved Judge to second. Ex-Yankee Chad Green then walked Stanton on four pitches, but Ben Rice’s bullet to left-center field hung up just long enough, as did Volpe’s sinking liner to end the threat. 

“I don’t hate [Chisholm bunting] for a hit, which is what he was doing left-on-left,” Boone said. “I always want him swinging the bat, but I don’t have an issue with him, with no outs, if he gets it by him with his speed, we’re really set up there.”