TORONTO – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said goodbye to a slump in his opening at-bat Saturday. Alejandro Kirk used his first swing to show that his bat remained as hot as ever.
Both sluggers went deep Saturday to power Toronto’s 14-hit attack as the Blue Jays blew out the New York Yankees 10-1 in Game 1 of their American League Division Series.
“I think it just solidified that we’re here for a reason,” said Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes, who had a two-run double in Toronto’s four-run seventh inning.
Guerrero set the tone with a first-inning blast off Yankees starter Luis Gil (0-1). Kirk, who had two homers in the regular-season finale last Sunday, followed an inning later with a first-pitch solo shot.
Kirk added another solo blast in Toronto’s four-run eighth inning. The Toronto catcher has homered in three straight games.
Teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-five series have gone on to advance 72.4 per cent of the time.
“I feel like we really needed this victory tonight,” Kirk said via interpreter Hector Lebron.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman was solid over 5 2/3 innings and reliever Louis Varland helped him get out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth that kept it a one-run game.
Daulton Varsho and Andres Gimenez chipped in with two hits apiece as Toronto won its first playoff game in nine years.
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“It was a really all-around well-played game,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Pitching, hitting, defence.”
Guerrero, who struggled at the plate over the final two weeks of the season, made a great defensive play in the second inning by spearing a liner and doubling off the runner, all while dodging a broken bat.
He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and had a pair of singles.
“When Vlad’s locked in, it can be contagious,” Schneider said.
After loading the bases in the sixth, Gausman struck out Aaron Judge before walking Cody Bellinger to put New York on the board. Gausman got Ben Rice on an infield fly and Varland struck out Giancarlo Stanton with a 100.7-m.p.h. fastball to escape the jam.
“In that situation, you needed 100 versus a guy who’s had a storied post-season career in Stanton,” Schneider said.
Gausman, meanwhile, threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of the 22 batters he faced. He allowed four hits, one earned run, two walks and had three strikeouts.
“Everyone knows he’s going to throw strikes, but he throws quality strikes,” said backup catcher Tyler Heineman.
The Yankees, who had six hits, have dropped nine of 14 meetings against the Blue Jays this year.
“(We) just weren’t able to punch through like we needed to in an inning where we had a chance to have a big one,” said New York manager Aaron Boone.
With the roof open on a glorious 26 C afternoon, the 44,655 fans in attendance were in full throat for the Blue Jays’ first home playoff game in three years.
They rose to their feet when Yankees starter Luis Gil was pulled after just 2 2/3 innings. New York used five relievers over the next 5 1/3 frames.
The Yankees were coming off a wild-card series win over the Boston Red Sox that went the three-game distance.
The teams released their 26-man series rosters before the game. Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette (knee) was not on the list and veteran pitchers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt were not selected.
Rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage (1-0, 3.21 earned-run average) will make his fourth career big-league start for Toronto in Game 2. The Yankees will counter with Max Fried (19-5, 2.86).
The best-of-five series will shift to New York for Game 3 on Tuesday night. If necessary, the Yankees would host Game 4 on Wednesday.
If it goes the distance, the series would return to Toronto for Game 5 on Friday. The series winner will play the winner of the other ALDS between the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press