With Luis Severino thriving at the forefront of their pitching staff earlier this summer, the Yankees stood right alongside Boston atop the AL East. They were then on pace to challenge the franchise record of 114 regular-season victories set two decades ago.
The All-Star ace's midsummer slump had been an alarming factor in the Yankees' slog through mediocrity for nearly two months thereafter, but perhaps Severino took a small step in the right direction in an 11-6 victory Saturday over Toronto at the Stadium.
After the fabled 1998 World Series champions were honored in a pregame ceremony, Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar clubbed home runs in support of Severino, who allowed two runs on six hits over five-plus innings to tie Max Scherzer for the major-league lead with 16 wins.
Greg Bird added his first home run since July 28 in a three-run eighth inning for the Yankees.
With Gary Sanchez still working his way back from a strained groin that has sidelined him since July 24, backup catcher Austin Romine notably was removed from the game in the sixth, one inning after taking a foul ball off of his mask.
The Yankees sported a .692 winning percentage as recently as June 21 (50-22), which had them looking primed to challenge Joe Torre's famed '98 squad's franchise mark of 114 regular-season wins.
Aaron Boone's team has registered a middling 27-24 mark thereafter, even including consecutive wins on Friday and Saturday.
The Yankees (77-46) still own the second-best record in baseball, and remain on pace for 101 wins, but they trailed the Red Sox by 10 games in the AL East entering Boston's game Saturday night against Tampa Bay.
"I think I always have that perspective of how unique and special it is to win at that level throughout the regular season and obviously carry it on through the postseason," Boone said before the game about the '98 Yanks. "You realize obviously what a sick pace that is and what a special thing to be a part of and go through that over the course of a regular season and that level of consistency throughout the year.
"It is something that you certainly have an appreciation for and one of the reasons you looked forward to paying respects today and seeing these guys."
Boone certainly needed to see more than he had recently from Severino, who sported a 7.50 ERA over his previous seven starts to raise his overall mark from an AL-leading 1.98 on July 1 to 3.27 following Monday's shaky loss to the Mets.
Severino (16-6) fanned two in the opening frame, and the Yankees quickly staked him to a 2-0 lead on Gregorius' two-run shot against Jays right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, who was making his second career start.
Romine added a sacrifice fly in the second, and the Yanks continued to tack on runs in building an 8-0 lead through five. Andujar ripped a two-run double in the third and the 20th home run of his rookie campaign in the fifth, one inning after Stanton also had clocked a solo blast for his seventh homer in 12 games _ and the 299th of his career.
Severino fanned eight through five scoreless innings, but the All-Star righty already was up to 96 pitches. Boone pulled him at 100 after the Jays' first run crossed on consecutive hits by Curtis Granderson and Justin Smoak to open the sixth.
Tommy Kahnle permitted the inherited runner to score before fill-in right fielder Neil Walker misplayed a bases-loaded single by former Yankees prospect Billy McKinney for a costly error, enabling all three runners to score for an 8-5 game.
