Judge’s HR breaks maple leaf, lifts Yankees over Blue Jays in drama-filled game

Aaron Judge’s tiebreaking, two-run homer broke a large Maple Leaf attached to the front of the Rogers Centre’s restaurant, lifting the New York Yankees to a contentious 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night after pitcher Domingo Germán was ejected for sticky stuff.

Judge was booed while striking out in his first two at-bats following allegations of sign stealing Monday, when he hit a pair of solo homers in a 7-4 win. The second, a 462-foot drive in the eighth inning off Jay Jackson, came after Judge glanced into the Yankees dugout. Toronto’s broadcasters speculated he was looking for some kind of signal, and Toronto manager John Schneider called Judge’s look “kind of odd.”

With the score 3-3 in the eighth inning Tuesday, Judge stared straight ahead at Erik Swanson, eyes never moving. His 448-foot drive to center chipped a corner of a white Maple Leaf between “WESTJET” and “FLIGHTDECK” below the windows of a redesigned social area that opened this year as part of the ballpark’s renovation.

Judge has five homers in his last four games, raising his season total to 11 homers.

After Judge struck out in the third inning, there was a brief shouting match between Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas. Walker went to the outfield end of the dugout, yelling and gesturing at Rojas, a former Mets manager.

Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from the game after eight innings. He appeared to hurt a leg while fielding Gleyber Torres’ popped bunt in the top half.

Germán was ejected after he walked to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and umpires checked his hands for banned sticky stuff. His ejection, likely to trigger a 10-game suspension, was the fourth since Major League Baseball started its crackdown on prohibited grip aids two years ago and the second this season.

Germán retired his first nine batters when his hands were examined by first base umpire D.J. Reyburn as the pitched headed to the mound for the bottom of the fourth. Other umpires came over along with Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and Germán was ejected by crew chief James Hoye, who was working the plate.

Hoye’s crew examined the 30-year-old right-hander during an April 15 start against Minnesota, when Germán retired his first 16 batters, but allowed him to stay in that game. Hoye had asked Germán to wash rosin off his hand and some had remained on the pitcher’s pinkie finger.

Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was suspended for sticky stuff on April 20, and Seattle’s Héctor Santiago and Arizona’s Caleb Smith were suspended in 2021.

Germán was replaced by Ian Hamilton, who was removed after five batters and 27 pitches because of right groin tightness.

Ryan Weber allowed three hits in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for his first Yankees decision.

Wandy Peralta, the sixth Yankees pitcher, got Santiago Espinal — batting in Guerrero’s slot — to ground into a game-ending double play with two on for his third save.

Torres had two hits and two RBIs. Torres and Harrison Bader each drove in a run in the third and Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s first homer this season increased the lead to 3-0 in the fifth.

Toronto tied it with four straight two-out hits in the fifth. Kevin Kiermaier homered, Bo Bichette hit an RBI double and Guerrero chased Ron Marinaccio with an RBI single.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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