NEW YORK _ Blame it on the rain. And an epic bullpen meltdown.
A 42-minute rain delay at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night cost Yankees starter Michael Pineda, who had thrown five shutout innings and just 68 pitches and exited with a six-run lead.
No worries, right?
Except the Blue Jays roared back by scoring 12 times against the Yankees bullpen _ four in the sixth and eight in the eighth _ en route to a stunning 12-6 victory.
Russell Martin's second home run of the game, a tiebreaking two-run shot to right off Adam Warren in the eighth, gave Toronto its first lead at 8-6.
The Yankees had gone ahead 6-0 after five as rookie Gary Sanchez, who even Joe Girardi can't deny has moved ahead of Brian McCann as the Yankees' No. 1 catcher, smashed two long home runs and drove in four runs in the first four innings.
The 23-year-old Sanchez hit a solo shot into the Toronto bullpen in the second inning and followed that up with a towering three-run homer to the second deck in left in the fourth.
Sanchez's second shot was a true rainmaker. After the ball came down, the skies over the stadium darkened and a rain delay began after the top of the fifth with the Yankees leading 5-0. When play resumed, the Yankees added another run on Didi Gregorius' RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
But the delay cost the Yankees the services of Pineda, who was cruising. He had given up four hits, walked none and struck out two.
Anthony Swarzak came in and allowed four runs on four hits in the sixth, including back-to-back home runs to Troy Tulowitzki (two-run shot) and Martin.
In the eighth, Warren (1-1) walked leadoff batter Josh Donaldson on 3-and-2 after a 12-pitch battle. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a two-run laser to left to tie the game at 6.
One out later, Tulowitzki singled and Martin, the former Yankee, gave the Blue Jays the lead with his 12th home run of the season.
The four runs were the first Warren has given up since he rejoined the Yankees in a trade on July 25.
Toronto added four more against Chasen Shreve _ who did not retire any of the four batters he faced _ and Blake Parker. The Blue Jays sent 13 men to the plate.
Both of Sanchez's home runs were against right-hander Marco Estrada. Sanchez (3-for-4), who also had an infield single, is 16-for-47 (.340) with four home runs and 10 RBIs.
McCann (1-for-4) was the designated hitter. It won't be the last time.
When Girardi was asked before the game if McCann is now a backup, he said: "Not necessarily. Right now, it appears that way, and I can't tell you that that's going to change. ... We like what (Sanchez) has done. Brian's going to catch, (Austin) Romine's still going to catch, but we're giving a lot of reps to Gary. As long as he's handling it, I'll continue to do that and then Brian will DH more."
The Yankees could look to deal McCann in the offseason, although he has a no-trade clause and is signed through 2018 at $17 million per season with a $15-million vesting option for 2019.
Fanragsports.com reported Aug. 7 that McCann had cleared waivers and can be traded now, but only with his say-so. The Yankees talked with the Braves _ McCann's old team _ before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, but the 32-year-old stayed in pinstripes as the sides did not reach a deal.
Gregorius drove in the Yankees' first run with a home run to right in the first.
