NEW YORK _ Jacoby Ellsbury did not start on Sunday in Baltimore in what Joe Girardi called "probably the biggest game of the year." Just like Ellsbury did not start in last year's wild-card game, which was definitely the Yankees' biggest game of 2015.
The $153-million man was back in the lineup on Monday and went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs as the Yankees opened a 10-game homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays before 42,141 at Yankee Stadium.
Ellsbury went deep against R.A. Dickey (9-14) in the first inning and added an RBI single in the third to give Masahiro Tanaka a 3-1 lead.
Tanaka (12-4) was charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings as the Yankees continued to show life in the wild-card race. They remained 3 { games out of a playoff spot. The Yankees also moved to within 5 { games of first-place Toronto in the AL East.
Tyler Austin had a two-run double in the fourth to make it 5-1 and the Yankees held on for their eighth win in their last 12 games.
Rookie Aaron Judge continued to struggle as he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. Judge (.169) has fanned in 16 of his last 22 at-bats.
Tommy Layne got the final out with the tying runs on in the seventh when the Blue Jays had closed to within 5-3. Tyler Clippard, pitching for the third straight day, threw a 1-2-3 eighth and Dellin Betances struck out two in a perfect ninth for his ninth save.
The Blue Jays hit the stuffing out of the ball in the first inning, but only got one run out of it, setting a tone for Tanaka's outing.
Devon Travis led off with a double and scored on a single by Jose Bautista. Josh Donaldson lined out to center before Edwin Encarnacion singled with Bautista moving to third.
That's when Tanaka's fortunes turned. He got Michael Saunders to ground to Austin at first base. Austin threw home and Gary Sanchez dropped the ball, but _ luckily for the Yankees _ Bautista had stopped between third and home.
Bautista started up toward home again. But Sanchez recovered the ball and tagged him for the second out. Tanaka got out of the inning when Kevin Pillar grounded to first.
That was not the only example of misadventures on the bases by Bautista. Down 5-1 in the fifth, the inning ended when Bautista was thrown out at third on a single down the third-base line that hit off the stands and went right to Brett Gardner.
Tanaka, who allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out four, lived a charmed life most of the game as hard-hit balls became outs and his defense stepped up.
The third inning ended with two men on when Chase Headley turned a hot shot by Pillar into a forceout at second. Sanchez threw out Melvin Upton Jr. trying to steal second for the first out of the fourth.
And Judge used all of his 6-7 height to catch a Dioner Navarro drive at the top of the right field wall for the first out of the seventh. Judge, who didn't even have to jump, may have prevented a two-run home run.
That was Tanaka's last batter. Jonathan Holder came in and got an out before walking a pair of Jays to load the bases. Ben Heller allowed a two-run single to Encarnacion to make it 5-3.
Girardi brought in the left-hander Layne, who got pinch hitter Russell Martin to pop out to a sprinting Starlin Castro in short right field to end the inning.
