TORONTO _ They're paying attention to the Yankees' magic number, now at four to clinch the AL East.
And it could go lower, pending the outcome of the Tampa Bay Rays outcome against the Los Angeles Angels later Saturday night.
In certain corners of Yankees Universe, they're also watching the ever-increasing home run count.
These days, every home run by the Yankees not only extends the franchise mark, it establishes a new MLB standard _ depending if the Minnesota Twins had a really good night at the plate.
For the second time this week, Brett Gardner hit two homers in one game. The Yankees hit five homers in total on Saturday afternoon, in a 13-3 victory against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Gardner drove in five of the Yankees' first six runs, starting with an RBI double and concluding with a three-run shot in the fifth.
He also made a terrific catch, leaping against the center-field fence in the fifth.
In the eighth, a rocket comebacker by Gardner struck Toronto pitcher Jordan Romano and knocked the reliever from the game.
After scrambling up to make the force, Romano was helped off the field, exiting with a right ankle injury according to the Blue Jays.
On Tuesday, Gardner hit home runs in his first two at-bats at Detroit.
Luke Voit made it back-to-back homers, following Gleybar Torres by hitting a titanic shot to left-center field that clanged off the facing of the third deck, above the windows of a restaurant.
Mike Ford tacked on a pinch-hit two-run homer in the ninth.
And at age 36, Gardner continues to have his most powerful big league season, now with 25 home runs _ one more than D.J. LeMahieu, two more than Aaron Judge.
Perhaps they'll even get Giancarlo Stanton to join the party by early next week.
Taking live at-bats at the Yankees' complex at Tampa, Fla., Stanton is due to join the club at some point on a homestand that begins on Tuesday night.
Could he be an everyday player as an outfielder/designated hitter right away?
"That's my hope," said manager Aaron Boone, adding that the Yankees could gradually build Stanton up by possibly playing him for a few innings and a few at-bats per game to start.
Stanton has played in just nine games this year due to a list of injuries, the latest being a strained right knee.
Coming off two straight scoreless outings, James Paxton wasn't quite as sharp this time, lasting five innings.
But the Canadian lefty pitched out of trouble in the first inning and didn't allow a run until the fifth, on a sacrifice fly by rookie Bo Bichette.
It was Bichette's 12th inning home run that gave the Blue Jays their victory in Friday night's series opener.
