Higashioka belts 3 home runs as resurgent Yankees trounce Blue Jays

Kyle Higashioka was as surprised as anyone.

"It's just kind of crazy how baseball works sometimes," the career .169 hitter said. "One minute, you can't hit the ball to save your life, and then the next game you play and pop three over the fence."

Higashioka slugged a career-high three home runs, DJ LeMahieu connected twice and resurgent New York hit a season-best seven homers in another Bronx air show, thumping the Toronto Blue Jays 13-2 on Wednesday night.

LeMahieu, Voit and Frazier also connected Tuesday — Voit homered twice — when New York hit six home runs and pummeled Toronto 20-6. It's the first time the Yankees have hit six homers in consecutive games.

"The confidence is growing with every run we're putting on the board," Frazier said.

Gerrit Cole (6-3) had another overpowering start for New York, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth. The right-hander completed seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out eight and walking two for his 100th career victory. He also took a no-hitter into the fifth in his previous start — a seven-inning, two-hit shutout against Baltimore in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.

Aaron Judge was activated from the injured list but wasn't much help, going hitless with three strikeouts. The two-time All-Star had been out since Aug. 26 after re-aggravating a strained right calf.

Higashioka's career day

Higashioka had never topped three homers in a season but has four in the past six days while emerging as Cole's preferred batterymate. The last New York player with three homers in a game was teammate Gary Sanchez on April 7, 2019 at Baltimore.

The 30-year-old Higashioka hit a two-run homer in the third off Tanner Roark (2-2), a solo shot in the sixth against Jacob Waguespack and another two-run drive in the seventh off Hector Perez. He matched a career high with five RBIs, and his only out was a drive to the warning track in the fourth.

Higashioka was a seventh-round draft pick by New York in 2008, and only Brett Gardner has been with the organization longer. He debuted in the majors in 2017 but has never gotten regular at-bats, although he's been siphoning playing time recently as Sanchez struggles.

Higashioka has stuck around for so long because of his pitch framing, game calling and communication — but also because New York has always thought there was more in his bat than the numbers showed.

"There's that power potential that's in there," manager Aaron Boone said. "And you saw it manifest itself tonight."

LeMahieu hit his major league-leading fifth leadoff homer and also had for a two-run shot in the fourth, his ninth of the season. LeMahieu has five career multi-homer games, including two this month.

LeMahieu had three hits and lifted his average to .373 as he battles Chicago's Tim Anderson for the AL batting title.

Jonathan Villar ended Cole's no-hit bid with a leadoff double in the sixth. Villar later scored on Cole's wild pitch.

Jonathan Loaisiga relieved Cole and pitched a scoreless eighth in his first appearance since recovering from an undisclosed illness. Nick Nelson allowed Joe Panik's solo homer in the ninth before finishing off the five-hitter.

Roark allowed six runs in four innings, including four homers.

"They had my number tonight," he said. "These first two games, they've had our number."