Blue Jays 9, Yankees 4
TORONTO -- Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells hit solo home runs and left-hander Andy Pettitte pitched 7 1/3 innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 Friday before a crowd of 40,028 at Rogers Centre.
Wells and Overbay, former Blue Jays who were booed when they came to bat, contributed to a 13-hit Yankee attack as Pettitte (3-0) allowed six hits and three runs in the opener of a three-game series.
The Yankees led 2-1 after one inning. Robinson Cano doubled with one out, Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch, and Travis Hafner doubled past first base for the first run. Wells grounded out to second to score the other run.
Rajai Davis led off the home first with a triple to left center. He scored on Melky Cabrera's groundout to second.
New York tacked on three runs -- two of which were unearned -- in the third. Hafner hit his fifth homer of the season on a 3-1 pitch with one out. Wells singled and Ichiro Suzuki doubled. Eduardo Nunez hit a fly out to center but center fielder Colby Rasmus was charged with a two-run error when his throw home bounced away from catcher J.P. Arencibia allowing both runners to come home.
That made it 5-1 in favor of the Yankees.
The Blue Jays (7-10) scored two of their runs on the fourth home run of the season by Jose Bautista in the sixth inning that followed a single by Melky Cabrera to snap a 0-for-13 streak. The final run came on the sixth homer of the season by J.P. Arencibia against Shawn Kelley with two out in the ninth.
Toronto right-hander Brandon Morrow (0-2) was hit hard, allowing nine hits, including two home runs and seven runs (five earned) over 5 1/3 innings. The Yankees (9-6) had seven extra-base hits against Morrow, whose ERA increased to 5.57.
Morrow retired the first batter of the sixth before Overbay hit his second homer of the season and Eduardo Nunez followed with a double.
Left-hander Brett Cecil entered the game and allowed an RBI triple by Brett Gardner who scored on a ground out. Cecil also allowed Wells' fourth homer of the season in the seventh.
NOTES: Jose Bautista (back spasms) was back in the Blue Jays lineup on Friday as the designated hitter after missing the previous four games. He will probably be used as a DH during the three-game series against the Yankees on the artificial turf at Rogers Centre. ... First baseman Overbay and outfielder Wells lead a contingent of former Blue Jays who are with the Yankees. It also includes infielder Jayson Nix and outfielder Ben Francisco. ... Left-hander Mark Buehrle (1-0, 7.31 ERA) will start Saturday for the Blue Jays against Yankees right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (2-1, 2.87 ERA).
