TORONTO -- Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, leading the New York Yankees to an 8-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

Gardner, who homered on the first pitch of the game from Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ, finished 2-for-5 with three RBI as the Yankees (57-29) improved to 8-4 against the Blue Jays this season.

Toronto (41-47) has now dropped five of its last six against the Yankees and four of six overall.

Brandon Drury gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead, doubling on a ball mishandled by Kevin Pillar in centre field to score a pair in the first.

Pillar made up for his first-inning gaffe in the second, taking Luis Severino's 0-1 slider over the wall in left for a two-run home run - his eighth of the season.

Happ (10-5) went just 2 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on four hits while walking six and striking out five. He needed 84 pitches to record the first eight outs of the game as he suffered through his second rocky outing in a row.

With Jake Petricka on in relief, Gardner tripled to right to score a pair. The Yankees went up 7-2 when Gardner scored on a passed ball. Petricka went 2 1/3 innings, surrendering one run on one hit while striking out two and walking one.

Randal Grichuk trimmed the Yankees' lead to 7-3 with a solo home run in the fourth for his 11th homer of the season.

Severino (14-2) allowed three earned runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five and walking two.

New York added to its lead in the ninth on an RBI single from Didi Gregorius.

Toronto's Aledmys Diaz hit a solo home run in the ninth to cap the scoring.

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and Yankees LHP CC Sabathia were tossed in the third inning for arguing separate calls with home plate umpire Lance Barrett ... Yankees CF Aaron Hicks left the game in the fifth inning with cramping in his left leg. … Blue Jays RHP Rhiner Cruz left the game due to injury after recording two outs in the ninth. ... Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman left the game with an undisclosed injury after recording one out in the bottom half of the ninth.