Halladay humbles Yankees in 5-1 Toronto win

TORONTO (Reuters) - Right-hander Roy Halladay gave up just five hits and pitched a complete game to record his major league leading seventh win of the season and guide the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old issued a first-inning single to Johnny Damon and did not allow another baserunner until Damon's double in the seventh as he improved to 7-1 for the American League East leading Toronto (23-12).

A two-run double by Scott Rolen off former Blue Jay pitcher A.J. Burnett, who walked two batters to load the bases, launched a three-run burst for Toronto in the fourth and gave Halladay all the support he required.

An eighth-inning home run by second baseman Aaron Hill, his ninth of the season, followed by an RBI-single by Rolen provided the rest of the Blue Jays attack.

Alex Rodriguez singled home Damon in the seventh for the Yankees (15-17) only run.

Halladay, who led the American League with nine complete games last season, needed just 103 pitches. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.

"He was extremely good tonight. Every time you looked up he was 0-1, 0-2," Yankees manager Joe Giradri told reporters about how the efficient Halladay consistently got ahead in the count and put his hitters on the defensive.

"His cutter was outstanding, his sinker was very good and his curveball was good as well.

"Interesting thing is I thought our guy (Burnett) threw good, too. A.J.'s two walks in that (fourth) inning were what really hurt him," Girardi added about the free passes he issued Vernon Wells and Adam Lind after a double by Alex Rios.

Burnett (2-1) gave up five runs on seven hits with four walks in 7 2/3 innings for the loss.

The crowd of 43,737 at the Rogers Center roared their approval of the Jays and Halladay and equally enjoyed jeering Burnett, who left Toronto as a free agent to sign a five-year, $82.5 million deal with the Yankees.

Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui left the game in the top of the fifth with tightness in his right hamstring. New York was also without shortstop Derek Jeter, who missed the game with a strained right oblique muscle.

(Writing by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)