TORONTO – The first two innings have never been Kevin Gausman’s forte but when he gets off to a quick start he knows it’s going to be a good game.

Gausman struck out Trent Grisham and two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge in the first two at bats of the Toronto Blue Jays’ 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Monday night. Gausman struck out eight and gave up just one run over seven innings as Toronto earned a critical win over the rival Yankees.

That one-two punchout was when Gausman knew he had his best stuff.

“Unfortunately for me, I’m usually not very good at the first two innings. My career ERA would be so much lower if, you know, I could figure that out,” said Gausman, who has a 3.86 earned-run average over his career, although he has a 4.69 ERA in the first inning and a 3.32 ERA in the second over his 13 Major League Baseball seasons.

“But when I’m able to come out and establish the fastball and throw swing-and-miss splitters straight out the jump, I feel pretty confident that I can go seven innings or even more.”

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Gausman fell behind Judge 2-0 in the first inning but then got him out with a swinging strike on a four-seam fastball, a foul ball on another four-seamer followed by another swinging strike on a splitter.

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The two battled again in the fifth with Oswald Peraza on third base and two outs.

Gausman jumped out to a quick 0-2 count in that at bat but Judge drew a pair of balls to even it 2-2. Judge fouled off three-consecutive four-seamers that were all over 96 miles per hour, before he popped up an 84.6 m.p.h. splitter to catcher Alejandro Kirk to end the top of the inning.

“That’s kind of mano a mano,” said Gausman of the impressive showing against Judge. “If he gets a hit, it’s going to score a run, and if I get him out, I’m out of the inning so definitely tried to throw my best fastballs.

“If you look at my numbers, they’re not too great against him. He’s had a lot of success against me. I’ve struck him out a good bit, but he’s a two-time MVP for a reason.”

The sold-out Rogers Centre crowd of 41,786 seemed to appreciate Gausman’s battles against Judge, with a loud ovation when Kirk caught the pop-fly in foul territory.

“(Gausman) was awesome,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Kind of what you expect out of a veteran guy to get the series going.

“Huge at bat versus Judge in the fifth. That was a good battle. Came after him with heaters, but Kev, he was in total control. Really, really good performance.”

It was Toronto’s (59-41) fourth win in a row and seventh in 10 games. The Blue Jays added to their lead atop the AL East, four games ahead of New York.

“Anytime you can go seven innings, against a division rival is going to be big, especially the first game of a series, rest some of those guys out there (in the bullpen),” said Gausman. “If you can get a little bit further, it’s going to set things up nice for the rest of the series.”

The Yankees have two more games at Rogers Centre in the series. Toronto has a Major League Baseball-best 36-16 record at home so far this season and has won a franchise-best 11 consecutive games at Rogers Centre.

“I think that the city and the fans deserve that,” said Schneider. “We love the support. You look up at 6:45 p.m. and the place is full.

“It’s a really cool feeling and the guys, they feel that. Everyone feels that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.

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TORONTO – Bo Bichette’s two-run double sparked a four-run fifth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays opened a three-game series against the New York Yankees with a 4-1 win on Monday.

Myles Straw hit an RBI single three batters later to drive home Bichette as Toronto (59-41) won its fourth straight. Leo Jimenez reached first on a throwing error in the next at bat, scoring Straw.

The win gave the Blue Jays a four-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East.

Kevin Gausman (7-7) was impressive, giving up the one run and striking out eight over seven innings of work. He allowed four hits and two walks.

Relievers Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez and Jeff Hoffman preserved the win.

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Giancarlo Stanton’s solo home run led off the fourth inning for New York (55-45).

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Carlos Rodon (10-7) allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits and five walks over five innings. He struck out four.

Scott Effross and JT Brubaker combined for three innings of scoreless relief.

TAKEAWAYS

Yankees: Shortstop Anthony Volpe had a rough fifth inning. Although it was ruled a base hit, his throw on Straw’s RBI single was way off-line, turning what could have been a groundout into two bases for Toronto’s centre-fielder. In the next at bat, Volpe pulled first baseman Paul Goldschmidt off the bag to allow Jimenez to reach safely and give Straw enough time to cross home.

Blue Jays: Toronto loaded the bases in the second and fourth innings but wasn’t able to score any runners, squandering an opportunity to break the game wide open. Bichette’s double brought the sold-out crowd of 41,786 to their feet and finally took advantage of a solid night at the plate.

KEY MOMENT

Gausman issued two balls to Jazz Chisholm Jr., in the third inning with two runners on base and the game scoreless. But the Blue Jays starter bore down, skimming the bottom of the zone with back-to-back four-seam fastballs then getting Chisholm out when the slugger bit on a splitter for a foul tip.

KEY STAT

Bichette entered the game hitting an impressive .394 with runners in scoring position. His two-run double brought him up to .400 with teammates on second or third base.

UP NEXT

Max Scherzer (1-0) gets the start as Toronto continues its three-game series against New York. The Jays have won 11 in a row at Rogers Centre.

Cam Schlittler (1-0) will take the mound for the Yankees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.

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Ontario has unveiled new agreements to reduce internal trade barriers with British Columbia and three Canadian territories, taking the number of deals it has with other governments into double figures.

On Monday afternoon, at the edge of a major summit in Ontario involving the country’s premiers and prime minister, the Ford government announced the deals.

The headline agreement is a memorandum of understanding between British Columbia and Ontario to collaborate on interprovincial trade, attempting to reduce duplication, pull down barriers and harmonize various regulations and standards.

“With President Trump’s ongoing threats to our economy, there’s never been a more important time to boost internal trade to build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant economy,” Ford said in a statement.

“By signing these MOUs and working together, we’re helping Canada unlock up to $200 billion in economic potential and standing shoulder to shoulder to protect Canadian workers across the country.”

Agreements were also signed with Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

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The four new signatories take the list of agreements Ontario has in place to 10, along with Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.

Quebec remains absent from the list of agreements signed.

The agreements now in place are part of a push led by Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston to reduce different trade rules and regulatory standards between jurisdictions.

Provinces have a variety of regulations and trade rules that differ from one part of the country to another. They range from safety and signage standards to alcohol sales.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump levied 25 per cent tariffs on vehicles, steel and aluminum, and threatened more on Canada, there’s been an internal focus to make it easier for provinces and territories to trade domestically.

The president’s latest threat — 35 per cent on Canadian goods beginning Aug. 1 — has added to the pressure.

In the spring, Ontario tabled interprovincial trade legislation, designed to remove the barriers it puts up against neighbouring provinces. As part of the changes, the government will allow health-care professionals trained in other places to begin working immediately, while they wait for their qualifications to be recognized by provincial colleges.

The same principle will be applied to other industries, like electricians, who could work for up to six months while they complete an application to officially move.

Broader technical standards are also set to be harmonized.

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