TORONTO — Things are getting really exciting up north.
The Blue Jays, who have been hovering near the edge of playoff contention for much of this season, suddenly find themselves with a lot of momentum in the American League Wild Card race. Their 3-1 victory over the Yankees on Friday night brings Toronto (60-64) just one game shy of the final playoff spot with 38 games still to play.
This is what stood out:
1. Holding their breath: Guerrero hurt
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exited the game shortly after scoring Toronto’s first run in the sixth inning, following a messy collision with George Lombard Jr. at third base before he crossed home plate on an error. Even though his OPS sits at.693, Guerrero remains the player the Blue Jays can least afford to lose due to his potential impact. Plus, we’re just three days away from marking a year since Guerrero last hit a regular-season home run at Rogers Centre. Theories are flying around, as they always do. The Blue Jays are right on the edge of competing for a Wild Card spot, but if Guerrero were performing anywhere close to his capabilities, they’d likely be sitting comfortably in one of those positions already. What else would people focus on? “People are always trying to have the right answer,” manager John Schneider said. “All of the things that are out there, some of them are probably close to being right and some of them probably aren’t. There are a lot of theories out there. I think the person who knows his swing the best is Vlad.” 2. Chaos on the bases!
The Blue Jays have been staring down their opponents this week without flinching first. The Red Sox made several costly mistakes during their four-game series that swung those games, and Friday night it was the Yankees’ turn to falter. If Toronto’s offense continues to struggle in low-scoring games, they’ll need this kind of solid play. A routine double play seemed imminent off George Springer’s bat until it spiraled out when Luis García Jr.’s throw went awry and skipped past him. This allowed Guerrero to sprint from second to third – where he got injured – and ultimately dash home. The Blue Jays have been catching some better breaks lately; however, losing Guerrero stings quite a bit. “You don’t really see a fielder throw the ball across the field with no glove on,” Schneider said. “It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’ve been there as a catcher. I’d rather it be a little bit cleaner and not have Vlad take a knee to the head.” By time Alejandro Kirk doubled in what became the go-ahead run, that incident felt like just an aside for that inning. This seems like how Toronto wants to win – any way possible – whether it’s pretty or not. 3. Bieber and Blue Jays seem re-energized
For weeks leading up to Trade Deadline day, Shane Bieber was seen as someone likely getting traded since he’s set for free agency and part of a struggling team. However, Toronto decided to keep him around; despite having had a rough outing against Philadelphia last Sunday, he showed up strong with six innings allowing just one run. “This feels great. We’re just excited to get to the ball yard every day,” Bieber said. “We have tried our best throughout the season to curate that mindset. Sometimes that’s been easier said than done but honestly credit goes out to this group for continuing onward together. Now we find ourselves playing better baseball meeting our own expectations. It’s awesome.” Solid pitching , clean defense , and timely runs define where Toronto stands now post-Trade Deadline , something they aim for moving forward. “I felt like we were stagnant waiting for someone else,” Schneider noted. “This has taken us away from thinking about 2025 because we’ve got different faces here now. Every team is unique ; you can’t force your squad into replicating another year’s model. With new players eager proving themselves , that’s influenced everyone here too. This is exactly what we’ve been looking for in our style.”
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exited the game shortly after scoring Toronto’s first run in the sixth inning, following a messy collision with George Lombard Jr. at third base before he crossed home plate on an error. Even though his OPS sits at.693, Guerrero remains the player the Blue Jays can least afford to lose due to his potential impact. Plus, we’re just three days away from marking a year since Guerrero last hit a regular-season home run at Rogers Centre. Theories are flying around, as they always do. The Blue Jays are right on the edge of competing for a Wild Card spot, but if Guerrero were performing anywhere close to his capabilities, they’d likely be sitting comfortably in one of those positions already. What else would people focus on? “People are always trying to have the right answer,” manager John Schneider said. “All of the things that are out there, some of them are probably close to being right and some of them probably aren’t. There are a lot of theories out there. I think the person who knows his swing the best is Vlad.” 2. Chaos on the bases!
The Blue Jays have been staring down their opponents this week without flinching first. The Red Sox made several costly mistakes during their four-game series that swung those games, and Friday night it was the Yankees’ turn to falter. If Toronto’s offense continues to struggle in low-scoring games, they’ll need this kind of solid play. A routine double play seemed imminent off George Springer’s bat until it spiraled out when Luis García Jr.’s throw went awry and skipped past him. This allowed Guerrero to sprint from second to third – where he got injured – and ultimately dash home. The Blue Jays have been catching some better breaks lately; however, losing Guerrero stings quite a bit. “You don’t really see a fielder throw the ball across the field with no glove on,” Schneider said. “It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I’ve been there as a catcher. I’d rather it be a little bit cleaner and not have Vlad take a knee to the head.” By time Alejandro Kirk doubled in what became the go-ahead run, that incident felt like just an aside for that inning. This seems like how Toronto wants to win – any way possible – whether it’s pretty or not. 3. Bieber and Blue Jays seem re-energized
For weeks leading up to Trade Deadline day, Shane Bieber was seen as someone likely getting traded since he’s set for free agency and part of a struggling team. However, Toronto decided to keep him around; despite having had a rough outing against Philadelphia last Sunday, he showed up strong with six innings allowing just one run. “This feels great. We’re just excited to get to the ball yard every day,” Bieber said. “We have tried our best throughout the season to curate that mindset. Sometimes that’s been easier said than done but honestly credit goes out to this group for continuing onward together. Now we find ourselves playing better baseball meeting our own expectations. It’s awesome.” Solid pitching , clean defense , and timely runs define where Toronto stands now post-Trade Deadline , something they aim for moving forward. “I felt like we were stagnant waiting for someone else,” Schneider noted. “This has taken us away from thinking about 2025 because we’ve got different faces here now. Every team is unique ; you can’t force your squad into replicating another year’s model. With new players eager proving themselves , that’s influenced everyone here too. This is exactly what we’ve been looking for in our style.”
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