Blue Jays edge Yankees 5-4 to kick off crucial four-game set

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From the moment Max Scherzer made his way to the mound to begin his third start of the season, an air of anticipation was palpable inside the closed Rogers Centre roof.

From the moment Yankees superstar Aaron Judge stepped into the batter’s box, it was obvious this was not your garden-variety Monday night matchup between two AL East rivals.

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A sell out crowd of 40,619 witnessed as close to a post-season environment as one can with the season barely into the second half.

Canada Day should be even more electric and perhaps the final two games of this four-game series with a lot riding on the outcome, especially for the Blue Jays.

Scherzer struck out Judge looking twice in an outing consisting of five innings with 71 pitches thrown.

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The most impactful pitch would be thrown to Jazz Chisholm, who went deep off Scherzer one pitch after one of those Judge punch outs.

The Jays are coming off back-to-back series wins in Cleveland and Boston to inch closer to the division-leading Yankees.

Toronto moved even closer following Monday’s 5-4 comeback win, a game decided in the sixth inning when the home side pushed across four runs, capped off by a rocket Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sent down the third-base line that scored two.

It was in Cleveland where Scherzer made his return from a near three-month absence following a thumb injury he sustained in his Blue Jays debut.

The Guardians lineup is nowhere near as potent as the Yankees, who managed three hits off Scherzer, who struck out seven, while issuing zero walks. His fastball topped out at 95.1 m.p.h.

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Bo Bichette, Toronto’s leadoff hitter, was a late scratch due to knee discomfort, while New York lost its leadoff hitter during the game in Trent Grisham (hamstring tightness).

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Yankees starter Carlos Rodon took a 9-5 record and a 2.92 ERA into the night. Rodon was charged with two earned runs during his five-inning outing.

The Canada Day pitching matchup will feature Kevin Gausman and Max Fried, a tantalizing duel that is sure to add even more spice to the occasion, which is already dripping in nationalism and ceremony.

In terms of baseball entertainment, the series opener was quite appealing, made even more memorable because it was the Yankees providing the opposition and the sheer number of fans in attendance.

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When Cody Bellinger went yard off Mason Fluharty to begin the eighth inning, a smattering of applause could be heard. That applause quickly turned into jeers when Judge was intentionally walked for the second time on the night.

It went back to applause when Jays closer Jeff Hoffman entered the game to start the ninth inning. After retiring the first two batters, the crowd rose to its feet and reacted to every pitch Hoffman threw as the atmosphere reached a level not yet felt this season.

Hoffman gave up a two-out single and the Yankees had the tying run on base. Up stepped Bellinger in a lefty-versus-righty matchup. Hoffman went ahead of the count at 0-2 before coaxing Bellinger to fly out for the game’s final out.

From start to finish, Monday’s game was one of the best of the season and by far the best atmosphere the Jays have played in this season.

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