Blue Jays’ pitching staff in a strong position as they head back to Toronto

What might be the Blue Jays’ strongest position at this point is the way that their starting pitchers will line up for the last two games of this series, assuming they can pick up a win in Game 6 and force a deciding 7th game. On Sunday, they’ll hand the ball to young phenom Trey Yesavage, who has put the baseball world on notice since joining the MLB roster on September 15th.

What originally looked like a chance for Yesavage to potentially contribute out of the bullpen down the stretch and get an audition for the playoff roster has turned into the 22-year-old being heavily counted on in the postseason rotation. It’s a difficult position for a young and relatively inexperienced hurler to be in, but the Blue Jays have a lot of confidence in their 2024 first-round pick, and they should after the way he’s introduced himself to the big leagues.

It’ll also help that Yesavage will be back on the mound at home, where he’ll receive the boost of support from the Rogers Centre crowd. It was easy to see the positive impact that the fans had on him during his ALDS start against the Yankees when he fanned 11 hitters from one of the American League’s strongest lineups, and hopefully, we’ll get a chance to see the Pennsylvania native fire up the home crowd again on Sunday with his powerful arsenal.

If he can’t find the same momentum that brought him so much success over his first four big league appearances, I can’t imagine that John Schneider and the coaching staff will wait around too long before they turn to the bullpen.

Fortunately, they’re in a strong position should they need a few extra innings covered in the event of a shaky outing from Yesavage. They’ll have Chris Bassitt ready to go, who was significantly better at home than he was on the road in 2025. Over 16 starts in front of the home crowd, the veteran right-hander sported a 2.71 ERA and a 1.172 WHIP over 93 innings pitched, including 100 strikeouts. By comparison, he had a 5.47 ERA and a 1.513 WHIP on the road over 16 appearances, covering just 77 1/3 frames. If Yesavage falters early, fans should expect to see Bassitt ready to take the bump and help his team try to reach a pivotal Game 7.

Of course, if they aren’t liking the matchup with Bassitt, then they could always turn to Eric Lauer for some length, as the southpaw hasn’t pitched since Game 2 on Monday when he threw just one inning. Even further beyond that, the rest of the bullpen should be pretty well rested and ready to go after Saturday’s off day. The only relievers to pitch after Kevin Gausman on Friday evening were Louie Varland for an inning, Brendon Little for three batters (I don’t have to tell you how that went), and Seranthony Dominguez. Given the importance of Sunday night’s game and the off day on Saturday, it should be an all-hands-on-deck kinda situation.

If the Blue Jays can force a Game 7 on Monday and give themselves a chance to reach the World Series for the first time since 1993, they’ll have Shane Bieber slated to take the mound in the pivotal game.

The former Cy Young winner was acquired at this year’s trade deadline to pitch in important games just like this, and he answered the call during Game 3 when he gave the Blue Jays 6.0 innings of quality work. The 31-year-old was ambushed in the first inning, giving up a 2-run home run to the third batter of the game in Julio Rodriguez, but after that, he settled into the kind of high-calibre outing the Blue Jays will be hoping for on Sunday as well. It was an important turning point for Bieber, who wasn’t as sharp against the Yankees in the ALDS, but proved he can be counted on in important moments with his Game 3 performance.

Of course, even the best laid plans have to be executed to find success, and it’ll be up to the Blue Jays to find one more magical comeback in their bag of tricks from the 2025 campaign. With a lineup that’s mostly done a good job of putting runs on the board in the postseason, a strong pitching plan, and an energized crowd ready to lift them when they need it, don’t count them out just yet.