TORONTO _ David Robertson hardly turned around to watch the ball, the veteran reliever instead crouching in frustration and staring at home plate.
There, a half-second earlier, he delivered the pitch that sunk the Yankees, a full-count fastball Justin Smoak hammered to center field with two outs in the eighth inning that led to a 7-4 loss in front of 29,091 at Rogers Centre.
Though the Yankees return to the Bronx Monday for their home opener a respectable 2-2, there was no question the setback was disheartening.
The Yankees, after scoring four runs in the third inning against Patchogue-Medford's Marcus Stroman, led the entire way, pulling into the seventh inning with a 4-1 lead.
Then a bullpen most consider to be the best in baseball gave it up.
After Chad Green struck out four over two innings, Tommy Kahnle allowed a two-run homer to Smoak, a pain all series for the Yankees who would become an even bigger pain an inning later, that pulled Toronto within 4-3. Kahnle walked Josh Donaldson before the homer.
Robertson recorded the final out of the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Russell Martin in the eighth. After Kevin Pillar flew out, Aledmys Diaz doubled. Robertson got Devon Travis to ground out on a comebacker for the second out, and manager Aaron Boone order an intentional walk to Donaldson to get to Smoak.
With the count full, Smoak fouled off a couple of curveballs before launching a 92-mph fastball to center for his seventh hit of the series.
Aaron Judge singled with two outs in the ninth off Seung Hwan Oh, pitching because Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was unavailable, but the right-hander retired Giancarlo Stanton on a fly to center to end it.
Sonny Gray allowed one run and seven hits over four innings. Stroman allowed four runs, all in the third inning, and three hits, also all in the third, over five innings. The big hit for the Yankees' in the third inning was a two-run home run by Brandon Drury, his first as a Yankee.
