NEW YORK — Francisco Cervelli, in the game for the suspended and injured Jorge Posada, singled through the left side of a drawn-in infield to score Brett Gardner with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Blue Jays on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, 5-4.

Posada was suspended for three games for his part in Tuesday’s brawl with Toronto. He started serving it Wednesday night. He wouldn’t have played anyway since he woke up with a stiff neck following the melee.

Cervelli entered the game after starting catcher Jose Molina was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh. He was the Yankees’ last catcher, so he had to bat against Jason Frasor (6-3) with Gardner on third and one out.

Gardner, who also entered the game in the eighth inning, singled leading off the ninth, stole second and moved to third on Derek Jeter’s grounder to short.

After the Yankees celebrated around first base and made it all the way to short right field, Cervelli got the now-customary pie in the face from A. J. Burnett and raised his arms in triumph. It was the Yankees’ 14th walk-off win of the season.

The Yankees maintained a 6z-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is four; to win the East it’s 10.

The Yankees trailed, 4-2, in the eighth when Hideki Matsui cracked a two-run home run off left-hander Scott Downs. Mariano Rivera (3-2) pitched the ninth for the win.