Toronto Blue Jays give up early lead as Yankees force Game 4 with 9-6 victory

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The New York Yankees have forced a Game 4 against the Blue Jays after defeating Toronto 9-6 in Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series (ALDS).The Blue Jays got up to an early 6-1 lead in the third inning before the Yankees rallied back.Game 4 will be at Yankee Stadium Wednesday at 7:08 p.m. The Blue Jays still have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.Related:Boos heard during ‘O Canada’ before Game 3 at Yankee StadiumThe game featured shaky defence from both the Yankees and the Blue Jays, though it was Toronto looking far worse at key times.Toronto’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa started the trend in the bottom of the first, booting a ground ball at second base. That play helped the Yankees cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1 following Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s two-run home run.But with the Jays leading 2-1 in the top of the third, some suspect Yankees defence helped Toronto cash in four more runs.With Toronto runners on first and second, Daulton Varsho hit a fly ball to left field that popped in and out of the glove of diving Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger. As Davis Schneider saw the drop while between second and third, Yankees centre fielder Trent Grisham inexplicably threw to second base. That allowed Schneider to hustle home and beat the relay throw, putting Toronto up 3-1.“Again, the Yankees make the wrong play,” Sportsnet’s Buck Martinez said on the game broadcast.After an Ernie Clement single made it 4-1, and with runners on second and third, Anthony Santander delivered a base hit to right field that scored two more. Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, whose arm hasn’t been the same since returning from an elbow injury in August, didn’t even try to gun down the second runner at home, instead throwing it to the cut-off man.An inning later, though, it was Toronto’s turn to falter. Third baseman Addison Barger, who entered the game earlier as a pinch-hitter, couldn’t catch a routine fly ball from Austin Wells with one out and nobody on. Two batters later, Judge tied it at 6-6 with a three-run home run.In the sixth, there was more bad fielding by Toronto. Right fielder Anthony Santander couldn’t catch a Cody Bellinger liner that got under his glove for a double. Ben Rice’s sacrifice fly then scored Judge to put the Yankees up 9-6.