NEW YORK -- It was a walk-off that never should have been, necessitated by a blown eight-inning lead and facilitated by an error in the bottom of the ninth inning. But a win is a win, and the Yankees simply cannot afford any more losses if they are to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. Chase Headley's hot grounder scootered through the glove of Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind, scoring pinch-runner Antoan Richardson from third, and the Yankees salvaged a 3-2 win over Toronto, their eighth walk-off win of the season. But the Gatorade bath was tempered by the knowledge that once again, the Yankees wasted an excellent start, and a rare home run by Derek Jeter, which would have made a nice story to kick off the final homestand of his career. Second-guesses galore in this one, but none more important than why Joe Girardi wasted his most reliable reliever to get only one out in the seventh, and turn the game over to one of his least reliable relievers in the eighth? Bats off to Joey: Just four outs from victory, the Yankees blew their 2-0 lead when Jose Bautista crushed Shawn Kelley's 0-2 fastball into the left-field seats with Jose Reyes (two-out single) aboard. Joey Bats' 33rd aboard silenced an already quiet ballpark, which began rapidly emptying from an already inflated announced attendance of 34,279. A crying Shane: Another outstanding start by Shane Greene, who went two outs into the seventh inning, giving up only three hits (one an infield hit) and a walk, and struck out six. A high pitch count (105) caused Girardi to come get him with two runners on in the seventh, but he escaped damage when Dellin Betances got pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro, noted Yankee killer, to fly out harmlessly to right. Still, his effort went unrewarded when Bautista homered to tie the score in the eighth, prompting the question of why Girardi wasted Betances for one out and only four pitches? Capt. Cru2h: Jeter had only one hit in his previous 32 at-bats, just three hits in 19 career at-bats off R.A. Dickey, and no home runs since Aug. 1, when he jumped all over a rare Dickey fastball, clocked at 82 mph, and lined it into the left-field seats in the sixth to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. It had been 158 at-bats between homers for Jeter. Drew first blood: The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on a two-out walk to Headley and a double into the right-field corner by Stephen Drew, only his fourth hit in his last 43 at-bats, and first RBI since Aug. 25. Drew also had a single in the seventh, his first two-hit game since Aug. 3. Diving for gold: Mark Teixeira saved a run in the third inning, when he made a diving stop on Reyes' one-hopper headed for right field, which would have easily scored Anthony Gose from second. But Tex made the pick, rolled over and just nailed the speedy Reyes at first for the final out. He's no umpire: Jeter was the second out of an embarrassing first-inning double play when he broke for second on a 3-2 pitch to Brian McCann, and slowed up halfway down the baseline when he believed Dickey's pitch to be ball four. Obviously, he was easily thrown out -- without a slide -- after McCann was called out on strikes, and appeared to be discussing the call, somewhat sheepishly, with second base umpire Scott Barry. Pillar of salt: Jays LF Kevin Pillar spoiled Jeter's party by making a diving catch on Jeter's sinking liner to left leading off the fourth inning, which probably would have gone for a double. Tomorrow: Game 2 of this four-game series matches Hiroki Kuroda (10-9, 3.81) and LHP Mark Buehrle (12-9, 3.40), who has not beaten the Yankees in more than 10 years. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
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