Blue Jays bullpen caves again in ninth inning as Toronto falls to New York Yankees

Blue Jays reliever Braydon Fisher (63) reacts as New York Yankees designated Ben Rice (22) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer in Toronto on Sunday, June 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — Brayden Fisher was in a familiar spot for the Blue Jays.

Top of the ninth. A runner on base. Tie game. One of the Yankees’ power hitters at the plate.

Less than 24 hours after Toronto closer Louis Varland gave up a two-run home run for the winning margin in New York’s 3-1 victory, Fisher was trying to shut the door and give his team’s battered batting order a chance in the bottom of the inning.

A slider that didn’t quite get to the right spot down and in on Yankees slugger Ben Rice would prove fatal for the Blue Jays — and represent yet another missed opportunity for the scuffling club.

Rice hammered that homer to snap a 3-3 tie before Jose Caballero launched a three-run shot of his own later in the inning off Tommy Nance in what would turn into an 8-3 New York victory Sunday to take two of three games from Toronto.

The Blue Jays (34-38) have leaned heavily on their bullpen in 2026 thanks to a string of injuries to the starting staff.

The wear and tear might be starting to show.

“The life of a reliever is really, really hard,” said Toronto manager John Schneider, whose team owned a 38-32 record at this time last year. “When they’re available, they’re available, and when they’re not, they’re not. But I think over the course of time, it takes its toll on you a little bit. We’re asking a ton out of those guys.”

Fisher said the Rice homer was a decent pitch that required slightly better location.

“I think that would have been the most-perfect strike pitch,” he said. “But to strike him out, maybe get it a little lower, a little more in.”

Veteran left-hander Patrick Corbin got the start against American League-leading New York (43-27), allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in just 3 2/3 innings before giving way to Spencer Miles with Toronto set to enjoy a day off Monday ahead of a three-game series in Boston against the Red Sox.

“That’s been a huge story,” Corbin said of the bullpen’s strain. “They’ve filled in and have had different roles than maybe they thought they would have. There’s no complaining over there. They take the ball and they’re ready to go.

“They’ve stepped up in a big way, and hopefully we, as a (starting) staff, can pitch deeper and give them some opportunities to maybe not work that day.”

Miles, who gave up one run off a hit and a walk across 2 2/3 innings, said the mood remains positive out beyond the left-field fence at Rogers Centre.

“We’re in really good spirits,” he said. “Go out there and get strike one. You just gotta stay present and be where your feet are.

“Keep answering the call.”

Fisher said fatigue wasn’t a factor Sunday.

“We all want to pitch,” he said. “We’ve had some troubles with the (injured list) this year. We’re getting our guys back here soon, so the workload will go down a little bit. We’re all happy and sad about that — we all love pitching. It’s good for the team as a whole, it’s good for each other individually.

“But we like earning our money.”

SICK BAY

The Blue Jays were minus first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (back) and shortstop Andres Gimenez (wrist) on Sunday.

Toronto also has a long list of injuries in the batting order, with outfielders Daulton Varsho (wrist) and Addison Barger (elbow) among those on the sidelines, but Schneider expects both Guerrero, who also sat out Saturday’s game, and Gimenez to be available Tuesday in Boston.

CLOCK MANAGEMENT

Caballero had a long discussion with home plate umpire Steven Jaschinski about the pitch clock and getting set in the batter’s box, leading to a warning for “intentionally delaying” the game.

That left Miles to stew on the mound as the chatter and meeting of the minds around home plate eventually grew to include Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

“It seems like every time it goes to 10 (seconds), he taps the plate, he looks at you like a fake look, and then looks back down,” Miles said of Caballero. “Every time I see that, I’m coming set, and then next thing you know, they’re talking. There’s no strike awarded to me, he wasn’t kicked out of the game, and I didn’t get a warm-up pitch.

“That was tough.”

Schneider, who would be ejected later Sunday for arguing a balk call, said Caballero seems like the only player in the majors with pitch-clock issues.

“Could have been handled a lot quicker and a lot more efficiently,” he said. “It’s Major League Baseball and everyone knows the rules.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press