"Even Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who has always harbored a disdain for days off, had to admit that an easy Sunday afternoon wasn't such a bad thing.

"At this point in the season, any opportunity you get (to rest) helps, especially with the schedule that we've had," said Jeter, who along with Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira were spectators Sunday when the Blue Jays quietly dispatched the Yankees, 3-0.

On the last day of the most grueling road trip of the season — a sojourn that began with a make-up game in Baltimore, a West Coast swing to Los Angeles and Seattle, and then a cross-continental trip to Toronto — the Yankees made it clear that the priority was resting to fight another day."