Alejandro Kirk’s huge night sends a warning as Blue Jays stay hot against Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays got off to a winning start in an important series against the New York Yankees. With Alejandro Kirk providing the offensive spark and Shane Bieber delivering a strong start, Toronto earned a 3-1 victory Friday at Rogers Centre for its 60th win of the season.

Kirk delivered when the Blue Jays needed him most. The Mexican catcher went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI double and his fifth home run of the season.

The performance also underlined the Tijuana native’s recent hot streak. Over his last 26 games, Kirk is batting .349 with three doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .917 OPS. He has also excelled with runners in scoring position, hitting .353 with 16 RBIs in those situations this season.

Kirk makes the difference against Gerrit Cole

The game remained tight for much of the night. Gerrit Cole once again delivered a quality start for New York, but Toronto found a way to get to him in the sixth inning.

After Trent Grisham hit a solo home run off Bieber to give the Yankees the lead, the Blue Jays responded in the bottom half. Kirk delivered an RBI double as part of the comeback, helping Toronto turn the game around.

Cole’s night ended after six innings, allowing two runs – only one earned – on five hits and two walks while striking out five.

Kirk still had one more big hit in him. In the eighth inning, he sent the ball over the wall in right-center field to make it 3-1. It was his fifth homer of the season and his first game of 2026 with multiple extra-base hits.

The Mexican international also recorded his 10th multi-hit game of the season.

Shane Bieber keeps the Yankees in check

While Kirk led the offense, Bieber kept New York under control. The right-hander worked six innings, allowing just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.

It was his third quality start of the season, continuing his strong form in Toronto. Across five starts at Rogers Centre, Bieber has a 2.57 ERA over 28 innings.

The bullpen took care of the rest. Tyler Rogers pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, before Louis Varland retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his 27th save of the year.

Blue Jays continue strong run

The victory improved Toronto’s record to 60-64 and marked its 28th comeback win of the season. The Blue Jays also evened their 2026 season series against the Yankees at 4-4.

The result extended one of Toronto’s best stretches of the campaign. The Blue Jays have won 12 of their last 18 games and 14 of 22, while maintaining an unusual streak: since July 22, they are 9-0 in games immediately following a loss.

Andrés Giménez also contributed a double and extended his on-base streak to 11 games, while rookie Brett Bateman went 2-for-4.

For the Yankees, who dropped to 68-54, the night also included manager Aaron Boone’s ejection in the sixth inning. It was his fourth of the season and the 50th of his managerial career.

Toronto, though, found the difference it needed in Kirk to open the series with a victory and maintain its momentum from recent weeks.

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