Toronto — The Toronto Blue Jays opened their American League Division Series in spectacular fashion Saturday, hammering three home runs and racking up 14 hits in a 10–1 blowout win over the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. snapped out of his late-season slump in emphatic style, launching a first-inning home run off Yankees starter Luis Gil to set the tone for Toronto’s offensive outburst. Catcher Alejandro Kirk followed with a solo shot on the first pitch of his second-inning at-bat, then added another in the eighth, marking his third straight game with a home run.
The Blue Jays broke the game wide open with four-run innings in both the seventh and eighth, as Nathan Lukes delivered a two-run double, and contributions came from across the lineup. Daulton Varsho and Andres Gimenez each added two hits, and Guerrero capped his night with a sacrifice fly and two singles.
“It was a really all-around well-played game,” said manager John Schneider. “Pitching, hitting, defence.”
Kevin Gausman provided a steady start on the mound, throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 22 batters he faced. Over 5 2/3 innings, he allowed four hits, one earned run, two walks, and struck out three. His only real jam came in the sixth inning, when the Yankees loaded the bases. Gausman struck out Aaron Judge, walked Cody Bellinger to allow New York’s lone run, then induced an infield fly from Ben Rice before reliever Louis Varland ended the threat with a 100.7-m.p.h. fastball past Giancarlo Stanton.
“When Vlad’s locked in, it can be contagious,” Schneider said of Guerrero’s resurgence, which was matched by Kirk’s continued power surge.
With the roof open and a perfect 26°C afternoon, 44,655 fans packed Rogers Centre for the club’s first home playoff game in three years, erupting as Gil was chased from the game after just 2 2/3 innings. New York turned to five relievers to cover the remaining frames but never found an answer to Toronto’s relentless offense.
The Yankees managed six hits but squandered their biggest scoring chance in the sixth, continuing a season-long trend against Toronto — they’ve now lost nine of 14 meetings this year. “We just weren’t able to punch through like we needed to,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
The best-of-five series continues Sunday with rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage (1-0, 3.21 ERA) making his fourth career start for Toronto against Yankees ace Max Fried (19-5, 2.86 ERA). The series shifts to New York for Game 3 on Tuesday, with a potential Game 5 set for Friday back in Toronto if needed.
Teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-five series have historically advanced 72.4 per cent of the time — a promising omen for the Blue Jays as they chase their first playoff series win in nearly a decade.