Jacoby Ellsbury #22 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning
Jacoby Ellsbury #22 of the New York Yankees rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning ( Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
loading...

NEW YORK — Jacoby Ellsbury overcame a first-inning deficit against R.A. Dickey with a two-run homer on the knuckleballer's third pitch of the game, then added an RBI single to lead the New York Yankees over the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 Monday.

In a matchup of teams fighting for playoff berths as the season passed Labor Day, Masahiro Tanaka (12-4) settled down after a shaky first to win his fifth straight decision.

New York (71-65) matched its season high of six games over .500 but remained on the periphery of contention, 3 1/2 games back for the AL's second wild card. The AL East-leading Blue Jays (77-60) started the day one game ahead of Boston.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM