TORONTO -- R.A. Dickey was due for a win after going 0-3 in his first five starts.

And the Toronto Blue Jays' right-hander felt his team was due for a game like Monday, when it scored three runs in the eighth inning and beat the New York Yankees 3-1.

"I was sitting in there thinking, 'We're due,'" the knuckleballer said as he waited out the bottom of the eighth. "We're due for a game like this where it turns out in our favor. It was nice. Big hits in big situations against a really good pitcher."

It happened against a strong Yankees bullpen.

"Justice served," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He deserved a win on that on."

Left-hander Brett Cecil pitched the ninth for his second save of the season to snap the Yankees' three-game winning streak.

After right-hander Chase Whitley had pitch seven scoreless winnings, he handed over a 1-0 lead to the bullpen.

Right-hander Chris Martin (0-1) came in for the eighth inning and allowed one-out singles to third baseman Josh Donaldson and designated hitter Jose Bautista.

Right-hander Dellin Betances took over and gave up a game-tying RBI double to left by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion. After center fielder Kevin Pillar popped out, Russell Martin batted for fellow catcher Josh Thole and singled to third base, scoring the go-ahead run. A throwing error was charged to Headley, who made a diving play behind the bag.

"I thought we had him," Headley said. "It's a do-or-die play. I didn't even know if I had a chance to catch it. When I caught it, I just got up and threw it as hard as I could and almost got him. It was a bang-bang play."

"It's a great effort on his part," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's a tough play all around. It's unfortunate because we get a great game from Whitley; we just didn't score any runs tonight."

Dickey (1-3) allowed only a seventh-inning run as he held the Yankees to three hits and three walks without recording a strikeout for the second time this season.

"I don't care much about the strikeouts. At this point I just want to win games," Dickey said. "I don't know how many ground balls I had tonight, but quite a few. You can't have a game like that and have a defense not play well. Everybody played great, and it was a fun game to be a part of."

"I can honestly say that's as good as I've seen him in three years," Gibbons said. "He was really good tonight. We definitely needed it, after a tough loss (Sunday), to bounce back. He was as good as I've seen him, a lot of movement. I can't remember any mistakes."

Whitley held the Blue Jays to six hits and no walks while striking out six over seven innings in his second start of the season.

Whitley was at his best when the Blue Jays had runners at second and third with no outs in the sixth after second baseman Devin Travis singled and Donaldson doubled.

Whitley wiggled out of the inning when Bautista grounded out to third, Encarnacion struck out and Pillar popped out to shortstop.

The Yankees scored in the seventh when right fielder Carlos Beltran led off with a double to deep right. He moved to third when second baseman Stephen Drew grounded out to the pitcher. Headley walked.

Beltran scored for a 1-0 lead when first baseman Garrett Jones' grounder to first squirted past Encarnacion. Travis retrieved the ball to get the out at first.

That set up a dramatic eighth for the Blue Jays, with Martin delivering the big hit.

"Russ is starting to heat up," Gibbons said. "The one thing he's done all year long (is get) the big hits. He seems to get that hit when it matters, to give us the lead, or maybe pad it. The meaningful hits. He always seems to be in the middle of something very important. To sit on the bench all night and to come in and face Betances is not an easy task."

NOTES: Toronto recalled RHP Steve Delabar and RHP Chad Jenkins from Triple-A Buffalo and sent RHP Miguel Castro and RHP Scott Copeland on option to the Bisons. In nine games at Buffalo, Delabar was 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Jenkins was 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA in four starts. ... Blue Jays OF Michael Saunders, who had left knee surgery in February, had fluid drained from the knee and did not start Monday. ... OF/1B Garrett Jones started at first base for the Yankees to give 1B Mark Teixeira a rest. ... LHP Andrew Miller earned his 10th save of the season Sunday to become the second pitcher to convert his first 10 save opportunities as a Yankee. LHP Tippy Martinez did it over three years (1974-76). ... RHP Michael Pineda (3-0, 3.73 ERA) will start Tuesday for New York against RHP Marco Estrada (1-0, 0.84).