NEW YORK -- If the New York Yankees reach the playoffs, theyll long remember this catch by Brett Gardner.Two outs in the ninth inning, bases loaded, one-run lead. Does it get much better?Gardner made a leaping grab at the top of the left-field wall, clutching the ball as he banged into the fence on Justin Smoaks drive for the final out, and the Yankees held off AL East-leading Toronto 7-6 Tuesday night.I knew I was going to be able to catch up to it and get to it, I just didnt know if I was going to run out of room or not, Gardner said.I knew it was going to be close to the wall -- thank goodness it wasnt much higher. Im not too tall and I wasnt going to be able to jump a whole lot higher, he said.A scrambly September game with October implications seesawed to the last swing, and turned at the end in favor of the Yankees. New York won its third in a row and sent the Blue Jays to their fourth loss in five games.At a season-high seven games over .500, the Yankees closed within 4 1/2 games of first place, their smallest deficit since April, and remained 3 1/2 back for the ALs second wild card.The Blue Jays had already scored twice in the ninth off Dellin Betances when they loaded the bases with one out. Blake Parker, the eighth New York pitcher, suddenly became an unlikely closer, and he struck out Kevin Pillar.Smoak was up next -- in August 2015, he became the first Toronto player ever to hit a grand slam in the Bronx.This time, he sliced a deep shot to left.Thought it might have had a chance, Smoak said, later adding, put a good swing on it, barreled it.But Gardner ran back, squared himself on the warning track and jumped high and back into the padding. He held on for the catch, immediately leaped in the air to celebrate and tossed the ball high.I think as the ball went in to my glove, my glove hit the wall. And on a play like that, you want to make sure the ball goes in the glove before you hit the wall, he said.The Yankees rushed out to congratulate him and a few minutes later, a replay of the catch drew another ovation from the fans.The 29-year-old Smoak and 33-year-old Gardner know each other from growing up in South Carolina.Hes an old man, Smoak said, smiling.Tyler Austins two-run homer in the seventh off AL ERA leader Aaron Sanchez put the Yankees ahead 3-2. Pillar lined a two-out, two-run double in the eighth that gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 edge.The Yankees then rallied for four runs in their half for a 7-4 lead, capped by Chase Headleys two-run homer. The drive off Jason Grilli (5-5) left the reliever bent over at the mound in frustration.With the Yankees running out of time to chase a playoff spot, manager Joe Girardi spared no expense with his staff. Chasen Shreve (2-1) wound up with the win and Parker got his first save since 2013 with the Cubs.Betances made it interesting in the ninth, walking the first two batters while working his third straight day. Edwin Encarnacion and Melvin Upton got RBI singles on infield hits to pull Toronto within a run.Encarnacion hit his 37th homer into the second deck for Toronto and tied his career high with 111 RBI. He started the day tied with Angels slugger Albert Pujols for the league lead in RBI.Playing on his 25th birthday and batting ninth, Austin sliced a two-out drive to right-center. His only other homer came on Aug. 13 in his first major league at-bat.Brian McCann also homered for the Yankees.Little did anyone know what was on deck. In a game of timely hits, it was Gardners defensive play that thrilled the Yankees.Sheer joy, Parker said.NY NUMBERSThe Yankees had lost five straight home series to Toronto before winning the first two games in this three-game set. ... Austin became the first Yankees player to homer on his birthday since Alex Rodriguez last year. ... Rookie Gary Sanchez has reached base in 21 straight games.UP NEXTBlue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (9-6, 4.58) has allowed eight earned runs in 12 innings over his last two starts.Yankees: RHP Bryan Mitchell was promoted from Triple-A before the game and is likely to make his Yankees debut this year, starting vs. Toronto. He injured a toe in spring training and missed most of this season. Hes 0-3 in stints the past two years with New York.Authentic Custom Angels Jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Custom Angels Jerseys . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.customangelsjersey.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Fred Lynn Jersey Large . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Wholesale Custom Angels Shirts . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5.BERN, Switzerland -- A gastronomical, sporting and cultural glance at Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Monday:REGION: Stage 16 took the peloton from Moirans-en-Montagne in the Jura to the Swiss capital of Bern on a rolling 209-kilometer (130-mile) trek.BAGUETTE AND BUTTER: Peter Sagan showed off his world champion qualities, timing his sprint perfectly to win the stage in a photo finish as the race crossed into Switzerland. Sagan, a Slovakian with the Tinkoff team, edged Alexander Kristoff of Norway at the line. Kristoff thought he won and pumped his fist in celebration, only to learn seconds later he hadnt. Chris Froome held on to the yellow jersey entering the second and final rest day.PLAT DU JOUR: The Berner Platte. Very similar to the French choucroute, this local dish is a feast of meat featuring ham, bacon, beef, pork tongue and knuckle served with potatoes and beans. It was first conceived on March 5, 1798 after the Bernese celebrated a victory over the French army with an improvised culinary party.CULTURE: Founded in the 12th century, the medieval city of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site offering stunning views of snow-capped Alpine mountains. Built on a peninsula inside a curve of the Aare River, the citys main attractions are an impressive gothic cathedral, a rose garden that is home to 220 different types of roses, and an intricate clock tower.HISTORY: A country with a strong cycling culture, Switzerland hosts two major bike races, the Tour dde Suisse and the Tour de Romandie.dddddddddddd The country has also been visited 23 times by the Tour and saw prestigious winners on its soil: Andre Darrigade claimed a stage win in Zurich in 1955 while Laurent Fignon triumphed in the ski resort of Crans-Montana in 1984.VIN DU JOUR: More than 200 types of wines are produced in Switzerland. The most common grapes are Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder), white chasselas and Riesling-Silvaner, also known as Mueller-Thurgau. In the small town of Vetroz in the Valais region, Jean-Rene Germanier and Gilles Besse have created a complex and aromatic red wine made with Syrah grapes, Cayas, which is regarded as one of the countrys best. For beer lovers, the light and clear gold lager from the Felsenau brewery has a fine bitterness.STAT OF THE DAY: 65.6. In kilometers per hour, the average speed of Peter Sagan in the final kilometer. In miles per hour, 40.76.QUOTE OF THE DAY: Most people in the peloton are scared of him, just his abilities. He can do everything. Froome on Sagan.DESSERT: Enjoyed by Bern locals at Christmas, the Leckerli are nutty biscuits flavored with spices and candied citrus peel. Ideal with a cup of tea.NEXT ORDER: Tuesday is the races second and final rest day, which will be followed by four challenging climbing stages in the Alps before Sundays mostly ceremonial finish in Paris. ' ' '