Dellin Betances threw a full-count breaking ball with no bite to Russell Martin that sailed well high and outside, forcing in the go-ahead run with his fourth walk of the eighth inning.
The All-Star reliever swiped at the toss back from catcher Austin Romine as manager Joe Girardi walked to the mound and fans booed on another long afternoon for the New York Yankees.
“The team is fighting. You can’t put the blame on those guys. I’ll take the blame,” Betances said after Wednesday’s 7-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Photo: AP
Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning off Michael Pineda, who also allowed Kevin Pillar’s leadoff homer in the fourth that put the Blue Jays ahead 5-0.
Aaron Judge started a comeback with his major league-leading 29th homer, a two-run homer in the fourth.
The Yankees surged ahead 6-5 when Choi Ji-man hit a two-run homer in the fifth and Didi Gregorius’ two-run double later in the inning chased Marco Estrada, who was pitching on his 33rd birthday.
Judge’s homer tied Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees rookie record, set in 1936, and Choi’s came on his New York debut.
Martin tied the score 6-6 with a seventh-inning homer against Chad Green, then walked to drive in the go-ahead run in the eighth.
With a runner on first, Roberto Osuna struck out Judge for the final out.
Miguel Montero, making his Blue Jays debut, fouled off a pair of 3-2 pitches leading off the eighth against Betances (3-4), before taking an inside curve. Worried about a bunt, Betances walked Pillar on four pitches, then put on No. 9 hitter Ryan Goins with four more.
He started Jose Bautista with another ball — his 10th in a row — before recovering to throw a called third strike past the slugger.
Betances fell behind Martin 2-0, evened the count and missed with a pair of curves.
“In the short term, I’m concerned about him. Long term, I’m not,” Girardi said.
Betances has walked 17 of his past 55 batters, including 11 of his past 22. He is rushing his lower body, causing him to fly open.
Adam Warren relieved, threw a called third strike past Smoak, then retired Morales on a flyout.
Leading the American League East by four games on June 13 with a 38-23 record, the Yankees have lost 16 of their past 22.
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