NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a pivotal Game 4 defined by opportunistic hitting and a dominant bullpen performance, the Toronto Blue Jays seized control of their American League Division Series with a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night at a sold-out Yankee Stadium.

A crowd of 47,823 watched as the Blue Jays methodically built their lead, taking advantage of a key error and timely hits to secure the win and a 2-1 series advantage. The victory gives Toronto a crucial edge as the best-of-five series shifts back to Rogers Centre for a potential clincher on Friday.

Toronto’s offense was relentless, racking up 12 hits and scoring in four separate innings. The Blue Jays set the tone immediately against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler. George Springer led off the game with a sharp double to left field and later scored on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single, staking Toronto to an early 1-0 lead.

New York answered in the bottom of the third when Ryan McMahon launched a solo home run to right field, tying the game and briefly energizing the home crowd.

The Blue Jays, however, reclaimed the lead for good in the fifth. Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez hit back-to-back singles, and Clement came home on a sacrifice fly by Springer, making it 2-1.

The game’s turning point came in the top of the seventh. With Schlittler still on the mound, Clement singled and Giménez reached on a fielder’s choice that turned into a critical error by Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., allowing Clement to advance to third. After a strikeout, Nathan Lukes delivered the decisive blow, lacing a two-run single to center field that scored both Clement and Giménez, extending the Toronto lead to 4-1.

That hit chased Schlittler and effectively put the game out of reach. The Blue Jays added an insurance run in the eighth when Myles Straw’s single drove in Alejandro Kirk, who had led off the inning with a double.

Schlittler was tagged with the loss, falling to 5-4 on the season. He was charged with four runs, two earned, on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings of work. His counterpart, Seranthony Domínguez, earned the win in relief for Toronto, improving to 5-4. Domínguez was part of a nearly flawless bullpen effort that silenced the Yankees’ potent lineup for the majority of the game.

After starter Yariel Rodríguez recorded just one out, the Blue Jays’ relief corps took over. Eric Lauer, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Domínguez and Jeff Hoffman combined for 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing just six hits while striking out eight. Lauer was particularly effective, throwing 1 2/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts.

The Yankees mounted a final threat in the bottom of the ninth against Hoffman. Pinch-hitter Jasson Domínguez doubled and later scored on a sharp single by Aaron Judge, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Hoffman, however, recovered to strike out Cody Bellinger swinging to end the game, securing his 35th save of the season.

The Blue Jays’ victory was a testament to their resilience after dropping Game 3 in a high-scoring affair. They improved their season record to 97-69, while the Yankees fell to 97-72, facing elimination in their next outing.

Lukes finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Toronto offense, while Clement went 2-for-3 and scored two runs. For the Yankees, Judge and McMahon each had two of the team’s six hits.

The series will resume Friday in Toronto, where the Blue Jays will look to close out the series and advance to the American League Championship Series. The Yankees, meanwhile, must win to force a decisive Game 5 back in the Bronx. The pregame simulations and betting lines, which had heavily favored New York, were upended by Toronto’s clinical and composed performance on the road.