The Toronto Blue Jays head to Yankee Stadium riding a wave of confidence and power after a dominant start to their American League Division Series, scoring a record-setting 23 runs over two emphatic home victories. With a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-five showdown, the Jays are just one win away from completing a sweep against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
“We have a challenge ahead of us going to New York, no doubt about it,” said infielder Ernie Clement, who homered in Sunday’s 13-7 Game 2 victory. “But it was huge to take care of business (in Toronto).”
Toronto opened the series with a 10-1 rout on Saturday at Rogers Centre before following it up with another offensive outburst the next day. The team travelled to New York late Sunday, with both clubs scheduled for workouts Monday ahead of Game 3.
Right-hander Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA) will get the start for the Blue Jays, while the Yankees will counter with left-hander Carlos Rodon (18-9, 3.09 ERA). If New York forces a Game 4, it will be played Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, with a potential decisive Game 5 scheduled for Friday in Toronto.
The Yankees face a daunting task. Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five Major League Baseball playoff series advance 89 per cent of the time. The Blue Jays’ 23 runs over the first two games set a new MLB playoff record, and they have outhit New York 29-16, clubbing eight home runs while striking out only seven times.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone isn’t conceding just yet. “There’s been a lot of weird things that have happened in baseball this year,” he said after Game 2. “This would not be the weirdest – us rallying. We’ll come ready to go Tuesday, expect to win, and then look to win again.”
New York’s pitching staff has struggled to contain Toronto’s lineup. Neither Yankees starter lasted beyond the fourth inning during the first two games, as the Jays attacked early and often.
The winner of the series will face either the Detroit Tigers or the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series. That series is currently tied 1-1, with Game 3 set for Tuesday in Detroit.
Toronto has not advanced past the ALDS since reaching the ALCS in 2016 and hasn’t won a World Series since 1993. With a commanding lead and red-hot bats, the Jays now have the chance to punch their ticket to the next round in enemy territory — and do it in style.