Toronto: The New York Yankees were held scoreless for just the sixth time this season yesterday, losing 6-0 to Toronto to see their precarious American League East lead cut to just one game.
The Yankees could have gained a two-game advantage over Baltimore with just six games remaining in the regular season but instead suffered their third loss in the last five.
There was better news for New York fans when leading wildcard chasers the Los Angeles Angels fell 9-4 to Seattle to move the Yankees a step closer to securing a post-season berth.
“We know what’s at stake right now and we’ve just got to go out there and keep picking up wins,” Yankee Nick Swisher told reporters. “We’ve got a little six-game playoff race.”
Detroit pitcher Doug Fister earlier set an American League record by striking out nine consecutive batters as the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 to boost their play-off hopes.
The win moved Detroit two games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central division after the White Sox fell 3-2 to Tampa Bay.
Fister’s strikeout streak began with the Royals’ final out of the fourth inning and ended with Salvador Perez’s ground out to end the seventh.
Four American League pitchers had struck out eight batters in a row. Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan accomplished it twice. Blake Stein, Roger Clemens and Ron Davis each did it once.
Another Hall of Famer, Tom Seaver, holds the Major League record of 10, set in 1970.
“Really it was a simple thing of one pitch at a time,” Fister said.
REUTERS
