TORONTO — At some point, Paul Goldschmidt’s time machine might stop working and spit him back out into the present day.
But in the meantime, the Yankees just keep getting incredible production from the former MVP and potential future Hall of Famer at a time when they desperately need it.
Goldschmidt delivered his latest lift Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre, crushing a go-ahead, two-run homer off Blue Jays closer Louis Varland in the top of the ninth to send the Yankees to a 3-1 win in front of a sellout crowd of 42,364.
The 38-year-old Goldschmidt, getting everyday at-bats at DH or first base because of Giancarlo Stanton’s calf injury, broke a 1-1 tie and recorded the first home run that Varland has allowed this season. Goldschmidt finished the day batting .285 with nine home runs and a .889 OPS.
The veteran’s big swing came after Cam Schlittler and Kevin Gausman had engaged in a pitchers’ duel for seven innings, with each allowing just one run. Schlittler walked a season-high four batters but struck out seven and navigated his way around traffic all afternoon.
Gausman, meanwhile, allowed just one hit — a solo home run from Jasson Domínguez, fresh off the IL — and two harmless walks while limiting hard contact all game.
Once Gausman was out of the game, the Yankees quickly tripled their hit total on singles by J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice that put runners on the corners with two outs against submariner Tyler Rogers. But Domínguez was robbed of a chance to play hero, with his hard ground ball scooped up on a dive by first baseman Charles McAdoo for the final out.
The Blue Jays threatened as well in the bottom of the eighth, as Fernnado Cruz walked the bases loaded with two outs. But he followed Schlittler’s lead by pulling a Houdini, getting McAdoo to pop out to end the threat.
David Bednar then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Yankees (42-27) a rare win north of the border.
Schlittler began his escape act in the second inning, when he gave up a single, a walk and a swinging bunt single to load the bases with two outs before getting Andrés Giménez to ground out.
But the Blue Jays took a lead in the third inning when Kazuma Okamoto crushed his second home run in as many days. This one came on an 0-2 sinker that Schlittler threw above the zone and in, but Okamoto still got to it and sent it over the left-field wall for the 1-0 lead.
The Yankees quickly had an answer, though, in the form of Domínguez, who arrived at Rogers Centre less than two hours before first pitch after being activated off the IL earlier in the day to replace the injured Trent Grisham. He worked an eight-pitch at-bat off Gausman that ended with a splitter down the middle, which he drilled to right field for a home run to lead off the top of the fourth.
Schlittler played with fire the next two innings but somehow got out of each unscathed with the 1-1 tie intact.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Blue Jays had runners on second and third with one out after Yohendrick Piñango’s double. But Jazz Chisholm Jr. helped Schlittler out by making a terrific diving grab on a line drive to his right for the second out before Schlittler struck out Giménez to strand both runners.
Then in the fifth, Schlittler lost the zone and threw eight straight balls to George Springer and Nathan Lukes, putting runners on first and second with no outs. But he escaped once again, getting Okamoto to ground into a double play and then striking out Jesús Sánchez on a 99 mph heater.
Schlittler got another double play ball to end the sixth, keeping his pitch count in check so he could come back out for the seventh and work around another single before striking out Lukes on his 101st and final pitch to end the frame.
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