Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage will start Game 2 of ALCS, Shane Bieber will start Game 3

Another interesting tidbit is regarding Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer, two pitchers the Blue Jays added to the American League Championship Series roster on Sunday morning. It appears Bassitt will pitch out of the bullpen because “he does weird well”, while Scherzer will factor into Game 4’s plans.

Yesavage’s postseason debut was nothing short of spectacular. Over five and one-third innings of work, the 22-year-old didn’t allow a hit while striking out 11 New York Yankees players. He had plenty of run support in that game, as the Jays took a commanding 2-0 series lead. It was one of the best playoff debuts in not just franchise history, but in all of MLB history.

Shane Bieber was the Blue Jays’ big acquisition before the 2025 trade deadline, trading Khal Stephen to the Cleveland Guardians for the 2020 American League Cy Young winner. That said, Bieber didn’t have a great start in Game 3 of the ALDS, throwing just two and two-thirds innings while giving up three runs – two earned, in what was a 9-6 loss. Hopefully, he has a better time against the Mariners on Wednesday.

As for Bassitt and Scherzer, neither veteran starter appeared on the Blue Jays’ ALDS roster. Bassitt was nursing a back injury, while Scherzer was left out due in part to a neck injury and the Yankees having a plethora of left-handed batters.

Replacing Justin Bruihl and Tommy Nance, it seems as if Bassitt will pitch in a bulk role, potentially in garbage time. If Scherzer factors into Game 4, it should be with an opener, as he has a 12.96 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched in the first, before it plummets in the rest of the innings.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Jays utilize their five starting pitchers in this series.