TORONTO — With one swing, Ben Rice took the air out of the building and put it back into the Yankees’ chest so they could breathe a sigh of relief.
In a tie game where all of the momentum seemed to be going against the Yankees by the ninth inning, especially given how they have played here so far this season, their young first baseman saved the day.
Rice clobbered the first pitch he saw from Jeff Hoffman in the top of the ninth, a clutch home run that lifted the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays at a sold-out Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
A night after he had struck out on three pitches against Hoffman to end Monday’s game, Rice slayed the Blue Jays closer on Tuesday to claim the first Yankees win north of the border this season after starting 0-5.
It also snapped the Blue Jays’ 11-game home winning streak, pulling the Yankees (56-45) back within three games of them for the division lead.
“We got the monkey off our back a little bit there,” said Devin Williams, who worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth for his 15th save.
On a night when the Yankees bullpen showed some more leaks — with Anthony Volpe committing another throwing error that led to a pair of runs that tied the game in the sixth inning — they got another five big outs from Luke Weaver and one from Ian Hamilton to bridge the gap to Williams for a win they desperately needed to have.
“Huge,” said Rice, who made an in-game adjustment to shorten his swing after looking at video with Jazz Chisholm Jr. “Obviously lost five in a row to these guys, so coming back and getting a win here gives us some good momentum heading into [Wednesday].”
The Yankees got a three-run homer from Chisholm, a solo shot from Cody Bellinger — who played some terrific defense in left field to help his pitchers out — and five solid innings from rookie Cam Schlittler to set up a rubber game on Wednesday with Max Fried on the mound.
“This is the team that we got to be for the rest of the half,” Chisholm said. “We know we got to give it all we got.”
The Yankees led 4-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, which began with Volpe’s second throwing error in as many nights.
His low throw to first base could not be scooped by Rice — turning into Volpe’s 13th error of the season, tied with Willy Adames for the most by any player in the majors — allowing the speedy Myles Straw to reach base.
One out later, Straw came all the way around to score from first on Davis Schneider’s double into the left field corner off lefty Tim Hill that made it 4-3.
With two outs, Aaron Boone brought in Jonathan Loáisiga, whose first pitch was slashed the other way by George Springer.
The Blue Jays (59-42) tested Aaron Judge’s arm and Schneider dove in just ahead of the tag to tie the game 4-4.
Loáisiga, who has not been as sharp as the Yankees need him to be since returning from elbow surgery in May, then gave up a leadoff double in the seventh inning.
But Weaver promptly entered from the bullpen to retire the next three hitters in order to keep the game tied.
Weaver got the first two outs of the eighth around a walk but then was at 30 pitches when Springer — who hit two homers off the Yankees reliever in the series here earlier this month — walked to the plate. Boone called on Hamilton, who got Springer to fly out to end the threat.
Despite Volpe’s error, the Yankees got some sharp defense to help them escape with the win.
Bellinger, who roped a pair of doubles in addition to the home run (all off Max Scherzer), made a terrific sliding catch on a sinking liner for the second out of the second inning, which Schlittler eventually escaped by leaving the bases loaded.
Volpe and Chisholm made a slick double play to help limit the Blue Jays to one run in the fifth inning before Bellinger made another strong running catch on a ball to the gap in the ninth that Williams thought was going to fall, which would have tied the game.
“Wow, what a good player,” Boone said of Bellinger. “Made a couple outstanding catches. … He’s just such a good defender wherever you put him and obviously a couple doubles and a homer.”
