Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam in the third inning as the host New York Yankees continued their hot start with an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.

After going 82-80 last season, the Yankees are off to an 8-2 start. It is their best 10-game start since the pandemic 2020 season and only the second time since 2003 they have won eight of their first 10.

After Anthony Rizzo walked to force in a run and tie the game at 1-1 with two outs in the third inning, Stanton drove a 2-2 fastball off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (0-2). It hit the facing of an advertisement below the second deck in right field, his second straight game with a home run and his 11th career grand slam.

Anthony Volpe had three hits, scored twice and stole two bases. Oswaldo Cabrera singled Volpe home and Juan Soto brought in Cabrera with a sacrifice fly in New York’s two-run eighth.

New York starter Luis Gil allowed two runs on two hits in 4 1/3 innings, short of qualifying for the win in his second start since returning from 2022 Tommy John surgery. The right-hander struck out eight and walked four in a 95-pitch outing.

Gil issued a bases-loaded walk to Alejandro Kirk in the third that gave Toronto a 1-0 lead and was annoyed with plate umpire Angel Hernandez’s strike zone.

Gil was lifted in the fifth after allowing a double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Jake Cousins (1-0) gave up Bo Bichette’s RBI double.

Guerrero hit an RBI groundout in the sixth off Nick Burdi following a fielding error by third baseman Cabrera. Burdi hit Bichette with a pitch but left the bases loaded.

Francis allowed five runs on two hits in three innings of his second career start. He struck out five and walked three.

–Field Level Media