TORONTO -- Cam Schlittler said he and his teammates should carry “a chip on their shoulders” every time they face the Blue Jays, fueled by unfinished business stemming from last year’s postseason exit.
The Yankees right-hander pitched like it, too.
Schlittler struck out seven over seven gritty innings and Paul Goldschmidt cracked a tie-breaking two-run homer in the ninth off Louis Varland, lifting New York to a 3-1 victory over Toronto on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
“The way it turned out last year, I think it gets a little chippy,” Schlittler said. “I think there’s a lot of mutual respect between both sides. The fans clash more than the players do. They’ve got a great team. They play us really well when we’re here.”
Saturday marked just the Yankees’ second win in 11 tries at Rogers Centre, dating to the beginning of 2025. The difference was Goldschmidt, who has taken on a larger role than envisioned when he signed a $4 million contract to return in January.
Goldschmidt’s ninth homer of the season came with Cody Bellinger aboard and marked the first long ball surrendered this year by Varland, who entered Saturday with a 0.49 ERA.
“I’m definitely not up there guessing; I was just trying to be ready to hit,” Goldschmidt said. “I joked in my head before that at-bat, ‘He hasn’t given up a run in forever. Maybe today will be the day.’ Fortunately, I was able to get him.”
Jasson Domínguez said he calls the 38-year-old Goldschmidt “Young Goldy,” and manager Aaron Boone sees Goldschmidt -- who is now batting .285 with an .889 OPS -- as continuing to be a formidable presence in the clubhouse, as well as the lineup.
“He’s been coming up huge,” Boone said. “Just when you think some righties hold him down a little bit, he comes up with a big at-bat. We’ve needed every bit of it. He continues to just be massively productive right in the middle of our order.”
Kazuma Okamoto’s third-inning homer was the only dent against Schlittler, who lowered his American League-best ERA to 1.82. Locked in a duel with Kevin Gausman, who one-hit the Bombers over seven innings, Schlittler navigated trouble and limited damage.
“He grinded his way through seven,” Boone said. “It still felt like he was throwing a lot of strikes. He’s so good that, as long as he continues to make pitches, he’s got the ability to get himself out [of trouble] because of his stuff.”
Schlittler’s command of his four-seam fastball has been a project in recent starts, and he sensed improvement on Saturday.
“I’ve been trying to feel it out the last two weeks,” Schlittler said. “I think I did in the right spots today.”
He pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, then was helped in the fourth inning by a stellar play from Jazz Chisholm Jr., who snared a Charles McAdoo liner that saved two runs.
“It was a great play,” said Schlittler, who was also supported by a pair of double plays. “Jazz is great; he’s a top defenseman in the league. It’s what you expect out of him.”
Activated from his Minor League rehab assignment when Trent Grisham was placed on the 15-day injured list, Domínguez endured an eventful travel day that included his bats being delivered to the incorrect belt at Pearson International Airport.
With his lumber finally in tow, Domínguez made it to Rogers Centre around 2 p.m. ET, permitting him little time to prepare.
It turned out to be enough. Two hours later, “The Martian” was rounding the bases after clearing the right-field wall for a solo homer -- the Yankees’ only knock off Gausman, who struck out seven and walked two.
“Every time you can come and help the team to win, it’s awesome,” said Domínguez, who clutched two cans of Red Bull at his clubhouse locker after the game. “It was a long day, but all that was in my mind was, ‘Be ready.’ It doesn’t matter if I don’t sleep.”
With Grisham and Aaron Judge both on the injured list, the Yankees will be looking to players like Domínguez and Spencer Jones to provide energy boosts of a different kind in the weeks to come.
“With the injuries, thankfully we’ve got guys like him and other players,” Goldschmidt said. “I think we all forget how young he is because he got to the big leagues [in 2024], but he’s going to continue to learn, continue to get better. We’re going to need him.”