After blowing Sunday’s Subway Series finale against the Mets, David Bednar found himself in another mess Monday in The Bronx against the Blue Jays.
Called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth after serving up a game-tying homer to Tyrone Taylor at Citi Field, the slumping Yankee closer nearly suffered another meltdown before he and the Yankees held on in a 7-6 win.
“Find a way to get it done,’’ Bednar said afterward. “You have to learn to get punched in the face and how to respond.”
This one was far from easy.
Ernie Clement led off with a walk against the closer, and Jesús Sánchez, hitting for Myles Straw, chopped a double down the right field line to make it a one-run game before Bednar whiffed Brandon Valenzuela.
Yohendrick Piñango walked before Bednar fell behind George Springer 3-0 — and then threw three consecutive splitters to strike him out.
Asked how many pitchers would do that, Jazz Chisholm Jr. said: “I don’t know many, especially in a situation that could load the bases. That took some guts.”
And Bednar followed it up by getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out to end it.
It stopped the Yankees from falling a season-high four games back in the AL East and losing for the eighth time in 10 games.
“After the leadoff walk I said, ‘That’s not gonna happen again,’ ” Bednar said. “I had to dig deep and get gritty. The guys needed me to do my job. It wasn’t pretty.”
But Aaron Boone will take it.
“He didn’t flinch,’’ the manager said. “He kept making pitches [against] two really tough customers. … He showed who he is, his mettle. He doesn’t give in.”
Their offense finally erupted against Toronto’s bullpen, as Cody Bellinger and Chisholm both hit two-run homers in the bottom of the seventh, and the Yankees held on.
It was a good way to start a key homestand against a pair of division rivals, with first-place Tampa Bay following the Blue Jays to the Stadium.
And both homers had some drama.
Bellinger’s hit the top of the wall in right-center and bounced into the Yankee bullpen, while Chisholm stood at the plate and watched as he sent an opposite-field shot down the left line that hit the foul pole for his fifth homer of the season.
The Yankees got off to a fast start when Paul Goldschmidt hit his third leadoff homer of the season in the bottom of the first against lefty Patrick Corbin.
Ben Rice followed with a booming double to left to set the Yankees up for a potential big inning, but Corbin rebounded to retire Aaron Judge, Bellinger and Amed Rosario to get out of it.
The Yankees then had the bases loaded with two outs against Corbin in the second, but Rice grounded out to leave them 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position through two innings.
That failure to capitalize on chances hurt the Yankees in the fourth.
Ryan Weathers, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his previous start, retired nine of the first 10 hitters he faced Monday before Guerrero and Kazuma Okamoto singled to open the fourth.
Weathers got the next two hitters, but Ernie Clement pulled an 0-2 changeup just over the wall in left for a three-run shot that put the Yankees in a 3-1 hole.
The Yankees got a run back in the bottom of the inning, sparked by Anthony Volpe’s second hit of the game. Volpe doubled with one out and stole third before J.C. Escarra hit a fly ball to right.
The shortstop tagged up on the play, and Straw’s throw home was in time, but Volpe made a nifty slide to avoid Brandon Valenzuela’s tag at the plate.
Max Schuemann then drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on Valenzuela’s second error of the night. He scored on a Goldschmidt double to tie the game at 3-3.
Toronto took the lead again on another two-out homer off Weathers, this one a solo shot from Springer in the fifth.
Weathers allowed one more run in the sixth, giving up singles to Lenyn Sosa and Daulton Varsho with one out. Sosa scored on a force-out off Paul Blackburn, who replaced Weathers.
