Toronto Blue Jays To Face New York Yankees in ALDS

The Wild Card round is over, and the field for the divisional round is set. The Phillies will see the Dodgers. The Brewers will face the Cubs. The Mariners will take on the Tigers.

And the Toronto Blue Jays will go head-to-head with the New York Yankees. 

The Yankees are looking for redemption after losing the AL East on a tiebreaker. The Blue Jays are looking to win their first postseason series since 2016. In other words, both teams will be playing with a chip on their shoulder. It should make for one heck of a matchup.

Game 1 – Saturday, Oct. 4 @ 4:08 PM (Rogers Centre)
Probable Pitchers: Kevin Gausman vs. Max Fried

It will be interesting to see how John Schneider rearranges his lineup with one of the game's preeminent southpaws on the mound.

Max Fried gave the Yankees 6.1 innings of shutout ball in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, striking out six. In four starts against the Blue Jays this season, he gave up 14 runs (11 earned) in 24.1 innings of work, striking out 12 and walking eight. While he won both of his starts against the Jays at Yankee Stadium, he wasn't nearly as effective in Toronto. Indeed, it was a poor start against the Blue Jays that kicked off a rough stretch for Fried in July and August. Unfortunately for the Jays, he righted the ship down the stretch. He was one of the only pitchers in the league with even better numbers than Kevin Gausman over the final weeks of the season. 

Speaking of Gausman, the Blue Jays have still yet to confirm that he'll be taking the mound for Game 1, but it's hard to believe it could be anyone else. The veteran proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he remains the ace of this staff with a dominant showing over his last six starts of the regular season, including an eight-inning gem against the Yankees. 

Game 2 – Sunday, Oct. 5 @ 4:08 PM (Rogers Centre)
Probable Pitchers: Shane Bieber vs. Carlos Rodón

Another game, another tough left-hander. Carlos Rodón gave the Yankees a quality start in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, tossing six frames and giving up three runs on four hits. He's faced the Blue Jays twice so far in 2025; he was solid but unspectacular in both outings (10 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 8 K, 8 BB), and the Blue Jays won both games. Of course, he pitched to a 3.06 ERA in 31 starts against the rest of his opponents, so it's not like this is going to be a cakewalk for the Blue Jays' bats. Once again, it will be interesting to see which lefties Schneider puts in the lineup and which he sends to the bench.

It's been a while since Shane Bieber last faced the Yankees. Indeed, he's only seen them three times in the last five years, but for what it's worth, all three were quality starts; he held New York to six runs in 22 total innings. He might not be quite the same pitcher he was when he last took on the Yankees in 2023, but Bieber has proven to be a great pickup for Toronto, pitching to a mid-3.00s ERA in seven starts. He's the number two starter this team needed, and he'll give the Jays a real shot to beat Rodón and the Yankees in Game 2. 

Game 3 – Tuesday, Oct. 7 @ TBA (Yankee Stadium)
Probable Pitchers: Chris Bassitt/Trey Yesavage/Max Scherzer vs. Cam Schlittler

This is where things get complicated for the Blue Jays. The Yankees will presumably turn to Cam Schlittler again, the rookie who led them to victory in the deciding game of the Wild Card Series. Schlittler gave his team eight scoreless innings against their fiercest rivals, striking out 12 and walking none. The Blue Jays gave Schlittler a bit of a beating in September, but all of a sudden, it's hard not to feel scared of the three-headed monster atop New York's rotation.

As for the Blue Jays, they could go one of three ways when it comes to their Game 3 starting pitcher. Will it be the postseason legend and two-time World Series champion, Max Scherzer? Or the stud rookie in his very first professional season, Trey Yesavage? Or the reliable workhorse coming off a brief IL stint, Chris Bassitt? We'll just have to wait and find out.

To read more about the Yankees and how they match up with the Blue Jays, you can check out Mike LeSage’s ALDS preview.