TORONTO -- On a team that is laden with home run hitters, Toronto Blue Jays reserve outfielder Ezequiel Carrera is known more for his tendency to put down a bunt.

He leads the team with six sacrifice bunts and for most for most of them, he was acting on his own.

It was his own idea on Sunday afternoon when he put down a bunt with runners at the corners and none out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Relief pitcher Tyler Clippard flipped the ball wildly to home as the tying run scored and Edwin Encarnacion added an RBI infield single to lift the Blue Jays to a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees.

The Blue Jays (86-69) solidified their hold on the first American League wild-card spot with their third straight win over the Yankees (79-76), who have lost four in a row to fall out of contention. New York had been shut out in its three previous games.

"Zeke, he can handle that bat with the best of them when it comes to bunting," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We were fortunate it was one of those plays that they tried to flip it home and it really opened up the whole inning."

"In retrospect, I wish I hadn't flipped it because (catcher Gary Sanchez) wasn't in a position to even have a chance to tag him," Clippard (3-6) said. "It was just a reactionary thing, trying to save a run. I wasn't expecting them to bunt right there at all. I made a good pitch. It was a changeup off the plate. For him to get it in play was a little bit surprising as well. ... I got the ground ball I wanted from Encarnacion but it was just in the wrong spot."

"I was thinking about it," Carrera said. "When I saw first and third I knew I was going to do it. You always try to bunt for a hit but my intention was just to move the runners."

The Blue Jays had a home run from Jose Bautista, while Didi Gregorius went deep for the Yankees.

"It stinks," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of the prospects of being eliminated. "We've been fighting and fighting. You think about some of these games we've lost, they've been really tough. We've gotten good pitching performances, we've lost in a number of different ways. It's just been tough."

Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda did not factor in the decision after allowing one run on three hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.

Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada also did not figure in the decision after allowing one run, four hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings.

Toronto claimed a 2-1 lead in the eighth.

Josh Donaldson led off with a walk against Dellin Betances. He stole second and took third when Encarnacion grounded out to short and scored on Bautista's single to center through a drawn-in infield.

Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna (3-2) allowed singles to Mark Teixeira and pinch-hitter Billy Butler to start the ninth. Pinch runners Rob Refsnyder and Donovan Solano moved to second and third when Chase Headley grounded out to Osuna.

Mason Williams tied the game with a single and Ronaldo Torreyes put the Yankees ahead with a sacrifice fly to center.

Melvin Upton Jr. led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and Clippard replaced Betances. The Yankees thought they had Upton on a strikeout.

"Dellin strikes out Upton and it's not called," Girardi said." A number of those weren't called today. It changes the complexion of the inning. It's unfortunate but it is what it is."

"I just wanted to put the ball in play and make something happen," Upton said. "He's a good pitcher. I stayed alive and ended up drawing a walk."

Kevin Pillar singled to right to put runners at the corners. Carrera bunted on a safety squeeze and Upton scored the tying run when Clippard tried to flip the ball home. It went wide and Pillar went to third and Carrera reached second on the error.

"Once he got it down I made a break for it," Upton said.

After Devon Travis struck out, Donaldson was intentionally walked. Encarnacion grounded a ball to deep second base for the winning infield hit.

Bautista launched his 21st homer of the season on a 2-1 fastball with one out in the fourth to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead.

Estrada retired 14 batters in a row before Gregorius led off the seventh with his 19th homer of the season to tie the game 1-1. Gregorius hit a 1-1 cutter to right center to end a 33-inning scoreless drought for the Yankees. They had not scored since the ninth inning on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

NOTES: A moment of silence was observed at Rogers Centre before the game Sunday in memory of Miami Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez, who died in a boating accident. ... Yankees 3B Chase Headley (lower back) returned to the starting lineup Sunday after missing the game Saturday with lower back tightness. He returned to the lineup Thursday and Friday after missing three starts with a tight lower back. ... Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (neck) also returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore neck. He did enter the game Saturday defensively in the eighth inning. ... The Blue Jays will start LHP J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.28 ERA) in the finale of the four-game series Monday. The Yankee had not announced their starting pitcher but it probably will be RHP Luis Severino (3-8, 5.70 ERA).