New York has lost five of six and remains half a game behind Tampa Bay in the AL East division race with five games to play.
John Buck added a solo shot for Toronto, which assured itself of at least a .500 finish.
The Blue Jays lead the major leagues with 243 home runs this season, one shy of the team record set in 2000.
Toronto starter Marc Rzepczynski (3-4) allowed four hits in five innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season. He matched a career high with nine strikeouts.
Yankees starter A.J. Burnett (10-15) allowed seven runs in 2 1-3 innings, his second shortest start of the year. He is 0-3 with a 9.61 ERA in four starts against his former team this season.
In Chicago, Clay Buchholz outpitched Mark Buehrle to steer Boston past Chicago.
A Red Sox loss would've locked up playoff spots for the Rays and Yankees. Instead, Boston took an early lead, pulled away and stayed mathematically in the wild-card race while the two AL East rivals lost.
Buchholz (17-7) pitched eight innings, striking out five and walking only one to give Boston the opener of this four-game series.
Buehrle (12-13) gave up 11 hits in six innings and lost his third straight decision.
In Kansas City, Jarrod Dyson hit his first major league home run and caught 10 fly balls in center field, helping Kansas City beat Minnesota.
Dyson, called up from the minors earlier this month, snapped an 0-for-15 skid with a two-run homer in a six-run second inning.
Dyson also tied a team record for putouts by an outfielder. Amos Otis (1979) and Carlos Beltran (1998) also had 10 each.
Royals reliever Philip Humber (2-1) picked up the win while Jeff Manship (2-1) took the loss for the Twins.
In St. Petersburg, Florida, Brian Matusz pitched seven impressive innings to guide Baltimore past Tampa Bay.
Matusz (9-12) matched a career high with eight strikeouts.
Nick Markakis had an RBI triple off Rays rookie Wade Davis (13-9) in the fifth inning. The Orioles scored three times in the seventh, with Markakis delivering a run-scoring single.
In Arlington, Texas, Justin Smoak homered and had three hits to power Seattle over Texas.
Smoak, traded to the Mariners by the Rangers in the Cliff Lee deal in July, hit a towering three-run shot in the fifth off C.J. Wilson (14-8) that extended Seattle's lead to 6-1.
Seattle starter David Pauley (4-8) allowed only two runs in six innings.
Entering Monday night's start, the Mariners had scored only 18 runs this season in Pauley's first 13 starts. This time, his teammates provided him with some offense. Pauley is winless in six home decisions, but is 4-2 on the road.
In Cleveland, Andres Galarraga went from unhittable to giving up three homers in an 18-pitch span as Cleveland beat Detroit.
Galarraga (5-8) didn't give up a hit until Matt LaPorta hit a 412-foot homer leading off the fifth. One out later, Luke Carlin homered to right. Travis Hafner hit a three-run shot with two outs for a 5-2 lead.
The Tigers lost slugger Miguel Cabrera to an apparent ankle injury when trying to get back to first on a pick-off attempt.
The first baseman and MVP candidate leads the majors with 126 RBIs, is tied for second in the AL with 38 homers and is third with a .328 batting average. Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco (2-1) got the win despite allowing 11 hits over six innings.
