TORONTO, April 20 (UPI) -- Bartolo Colon allowed five hits and struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings Wednesday in lifting the New York Yankees to a 6-2 victory over Toronto.
Colon (1-1) started a game for the first time since July 24, 2009. He missed much of the 2009 campaign with knee inflammation and did not pitch during the regular season last year.
Colon was given a spot in the rotation after Phil Hughes went on the 15-day disabled list. He was lifted with two on and two out in the seventh, having thrown 89 pitches.
Robinson Cano had two RBI for New York, neither of them on a base hit. He drove in a run with a groundout in the first and had a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Alex Rodriguez also had a sacrifice fly in the fifth. He had missed the previous two games with a sore left side.
Curtis Granderson delivered an RBI triple in the second and completed the New York scoring with a solo homer in the ninth.
Brett Cecil (1-2) took the loss, surrendering five runs on six hits in five innings. Toronto lost for the eighth time in 11 games, but split the two-game series with the Yankees.
