"The guy with the most home runs in the majors since last Aug. 14, Toronto's Jose Bautista, swears he does not step to the plate thinking homer. And the guy with the second-most homers in that span, Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson, says the same.

So where the heck are all these homers -- 37 for Bautista (19 this season, including one last night) and 30 for Granderson (16 this season) -- coming from?

"I'm more patient, which has led to hitting counts," said Bautista, who staked the Blue Jays to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of a 7-3 victory over the Yankees at the Stadium, depositing an 0-1 fastball from Bartolo Colon in the Jays' bullpen in left-center. "It's more timing. It's created a night-and-day difference. I've been able to get myself to that good hitting position consistently, and I've been able to see the ball better, get the ball before it gets too deep in the strike zone."

Who can argue? Bautista, hitting .353 after going 1-for-3 with two walks (one intentional), slugged 54 homers last season. The repeat success means just a bit more for Bautista, who found his share of disbelievers in 2010.

"It's gratifying, knowing a lot of people were skeptical about what happened last year," said Bautista, who said he was sitting on a Colon fastball in the first. "He was throwing a lot of heaters. That's what he always does. I was looking for one."

Granderson, like Bautista, insists the only object every at-bat is to drive the ball. Sometimes it goes out, sometimes it doesn't. It's just that recently, it has gone out more for Granderson than for anybody not named Jose."