The Toronto Blue Jays proved just why they emerged as champions of the American League East in 2025 with a statement series win over the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
The Blue Jays won the regular-season series with an 8-5 record against the Yankees. Toronto then proceeded to outscore the reigning American League champions 31-19 in the high-scoring, four-game playoff set. New York’s championship drought officially extended to 16 seasons while the Blue Jays earned their first trip to the ALCS since 2016.
Here are three studs and two duds from Toronto’s series win over New York.
STUDS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Nobody enjoys beating up the Yankees more than Toronto’s slugger, which he did and then some in the ALDS.
Guerrero went 9-for-17 in the series with three home runs and mashed to the tune of a 1.609 OPS. His Game 2 grand slam will be the memorable highlight of the series as the $500 million man completely took over the Blue Jays’ series victory.
Guerrero Jr. made sure to fully enjoy eliminating the Yankees in a viral clip with another Yankee killer in former Boston Red Sox designated hitter and MLB on FOX analyst David Ortiz.
Trey Yesavage
The 2024 first-rounder from East Carolina had just three MLB starts under his belt when he took the ball against the Yankees in Game 2. The moment didn’t faze Yesavage one bit as he dominated New York’s lineup with 11 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work in the win that boosted Toronto to a 2-0 series lead.
Ernie Clement
The Blue Jays have several big names in the order, so Clement is often glanced over in a deep lineup. He let his bat do the talking in the series when he went 9-for-14 at the plate, including a three-hit outing in Game 2 and a four-hit performance in Game 3.
Honorable Mention: Aaron Judge
Judge didn’t do much to improve an underwhelming postseason resume that still doesn’t feature a championship. With that said, his numbers from this postseason cannot be ignored with a .500 batting average and 1.273 OPS in seven games prior to New York’s elimination.
His game-tying, three-run homer in Game 3 also kept the Yankees alive for another day.
DUDS
Max Fried
The left-hander won 19 games during the regular season and kept the Red Sox at bay in the postseason opener. For a top starter who will likely be a Cy Young finalist, Fried got shelled in Game 2 with seven earned runs allowed in just three innings in Toronto.
Aaron Boone
Boone consistently gets his roster to the postseason but once again failed to bring a championship to the Bronx for the first time since 2009. Massive seasons from offseason acquisitions in Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham along with a massive retooling of the bullpen at the trade deadline still weren’t enough for Boone to steer New York to a World Series title.
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