Tiedemann makes long-awaited debut as Blue Jays pull into wild-card spot

TORONTO — Back during spring training, the Toronto Blue Jays sketched out a rough plan for Ricky Tiedemann that had the electric-armed prospect pitching in bulk early, making up for lost time, before assessing where his progress and organizational need should take him. Barring setbacks, the thinking was that such an approach would save some innings for a late-season boost, whatever role needed, amid a playoff push.

Though the route veered off track for both player and team along the way, they both arrived at the anticipated destination Saturday afternoon, as Tiedemann threw 1.2 innings during a big-league debut that helped the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1, extending their recent surge in the American League wild-card standings.

Pitching between opener Braydon Fisher and bulk-arm Simeon Woods Richardson as part of a seven-arm bullpen game, Tiedemann allowed one run on George Lombard Jr.’s RBI single while striking out two, flashing the dominant fastball-slider-changeup combo that can make him a weapon between now and the finish line.

Combined with another day of collective-approach offence, grinding out one run off Cy Young-contender Cam Schlittler on Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single in the third before squeezing out three more in the seventh and eighth innings, it added up to a 13th win in 19 outings for the Blue Jays (61-64), who began the day one game back of the third wild-card spot.

Charles McAdoo, starting at first base after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was placed on the seven-day concussion IL, ripped a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh and added a run-scoring single in the eighth before Nathan Lukes’ run-scoring double later in the inning made it 4-1.

Louis Varland locked down a second straight win over the Yankees (68-55) with an overpowering ninth before a crowd of 42,580.