BRONX – Blue Jays manager John Schneider rolled the dice for the American League Division Series against New York, and then pulled all the right strings.
Untested rookie Trey Yesavage landed on the roster ahead of veterans Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer. Eight relievers threw a bullpen game in the series-winning Game 4. And Nathan Lukes returned to the lineup for the clincher Wednesday night and had the key two-run hit in a 5-2 victory.
Unlike his last two trips to the post-season, Schneider’s moves all seemed to work out. This time the Blue Jays’ offence was in top form and the pitching staff delivered.
“I think it just speaks to the amount of feel that he has for the game,” said Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer. “And that’s something that’s unquantifiable in baseball.”
Toronto set the tone from the start of the ALDS against its East division rival and took advantage of its opportunities.
Game 1 starter Kevin Gausman was poised and the bats came through. Yesavage was dominant in Game 2 and Toronto reached a double-digit run total again.
New York pulled off a five-run comeback to win Game 3 but the Yankees showed little signs of life in Game 4. The Yankee Stadium crowd, delirious after superstar Aaron Judge’s performance on Tuesday night, was rather muted the next night.
The Blue Jays scored early and didn’t let the Yankees break through. Many of Toronto’s big names had strong performances and their teammates stepped up when needed.
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Ernie Clement hit an eye-popping .643 in the series. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. posted a fearsome 1.609 OPS. Daulton Varsho went 0 for 4 on Wednesday and still had a .438 average and 1.471 OPS in the series.
And then there’s Yesavage, who followed Gausman by throwing 5 1/3 no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts.
Toronto’s AL Championship Series opponent – Detroit or Seattle – will have reason to be worried.
“It’s an unbelievable cast of characters in there that can keep a group level-headed or get a group going if you need to,” Schneider said. “A lot, if not all the credit, goes to the players.”
The Blue Jays get to turn to a familiar playbook now.
They earned a break before the ALDS by winning the division title while New York had to play a full three-game wild-card series against Boston. The Mariners and Tigers will also go the distance in the other ALDS with Game 5 set for Friday night.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, get valuable rest time and can reset their rotation before hosting the first two games at Rogers Centre.
Schneider said it’s a welcome break after a “very emotional, hard-fought” four games against New York.
“It’s nice to take a deep breath,” he said. “It’s really nice to go home and know that we’re playing at home, and it’s nice to sort through what we think is the best way to try to beat whoever we’re going to play.”
Big decisions await ahead of the ALCS roster announcement, which is likely to come on Sunday morning.
Scherzer and Bassitt may slot back in for the best-of-seven series. Star shortstop Bo Bichette could be in the mix as well given the recent strides in his recovery from a knee sprain.
The Blue Jays have won seven of eight games and own home-field advantage for at least another round. Toronto is the top-seeded team in the AL and is playing like it.
The Blue Jays haven’t been to the World Series since winning it in 1993 for a second straight year.
Four more victories will get them back to the Fall Classic.
“I think we’re capable of winning it all, honestly,” Lauer said. “I think when we go out there and we have our game plan ready to go, I don’t think there’s anybody that can beat us.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct 9, 2025.
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