Jays' Davis has been a nice catch in left field
J.A. Happ got the win, his first as a Blue Jay. Edwin Encarnacion reached 30 home runs for the first time in his career. And the Blue Jays snapped a five-game string of losses when they beat the New York Yankees 10-7 on Sunday.
But it might not have happened without Rajai Davis.
Injuries left the Blue Jays with only one player in Sunday's starting lineup who also was in the starting lineup on opening day, April 5 in Cleveland. That was Encarnacion.
Davis was with the team but Eric Thames, since traded to Seattle, started in left field on opening day. As the season wore on, Davis became the regular left fielder.
On a day when the lineup looked bare, Davis picked it up by equaling his career high with five RBI on doubles in the fourth and fifth innings.
Encarnacion also had a two-run homer among his three hits.
But after taking a 10-1 lead, the Blue Jays watched the Yankees slowly come back. They scored three in the sixth and three in the seventh to draw within three runs.
Who knows how it might have turned out if Davis had not robbed Casey McGehee of a two-run homer in the seventh? It came before the Yankees had scored in the inning. Davis timed his jump perfectly and was able to bring the ball back.
"Rajai had a big day," manager John Farrell said. "I don't know how many people make the catch he did. It was just an outstanding timing play.
"In the end we had enough to hang on. As deep and as explosive as that lineup is, they came at us in the sixth and seventh innings. A much-needed win. A good one."
Of his catch, Davis said, "I think it's instincts you have to have, and just let it happen when it happens. I wasn't sure it was going to go that far, to tell you the truth. I didn't think it was going to go that high, but I knew it was high enough that I could time it."
It was a game-changer for the Blue Jays at a time when they needed something to change.
