The Blue Jays’ revenge tour has begun

Once again, this scoring fest wouldn’t have been possible if nearly everyone in the lineup hadn’t contributed to getting on base one way or another. Aside from Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nathan Lukes (who was a replacement during the game), everyone in Toronto’s lineup either took a walk or had at least one hit in this important Game 2, which propelled the Blue Jays to their second ALDS win.

Game 2 wasn’t exactly the smoothest win for the Blue Jays as a group of their relievers struggled to get outs right away after taking the ball from Yesavage. As one of the better-hitting teams, New York took advantage of Toronto’s low-leverage relievers like Justin Bruihl and Tommy Nance to score five runs to cut down the Blue Jays’ lead by six runs when the final out was recorded. This relief issue will be something John Schneider et al will have to pay attention to as the team navigates the rest of the ALDS, especially with the next two games taking place in the Bronx.

Thankfully, the Blue Jays haven’t replicated their playoff misery in 2022 and 2023 so far. They did exactly what they needed to do by winning two home games to sap out any momentum on the Yankees’ side. With their sharp starting pitching and unrelenting contact-based offensive approach, they are close to doing the improbable this postseason – at least from the eyes of national media outlets.

Their revenge tour is only just beginning after missing out on the playoffs with 91 wins in 2021. This is also their payback time for ignominious 2022 and 2023 playoff exits. The Blue Jays will need one more win to shut the doors on the Yankees to advance to the ALCS, but that road will be far from a cake walk, as evidenced by the calibre of New York’s offence. The Bronx Bombers underperformed massively north of the border, but it will hold the home-field advantage starting this week.

The Blue Jays’ job is to avoid the trap of being complacent.

The Yankees were battling for the AL East division lead up until the last day of the regular season for a reason – they aren’t to be underestimated under any circumstances. Their productive at-bats at the top of the seventh inning on Sunday served as a warning that they can inflict agony on their rivals. Not giving New York even a slim opportunity to come back will determine the Blue Jays’ postseason destiny moving forward. To effectively bottle up the Yankees, Toronto will have to have even more patient plate appearances, in the hopes of gassing out every part of New York’s pitching staff. They will also have to pitch immaculately and suppress home runs. But most of all, they will have to find ways to stop Aaron Judge from becoming a playoff hero and keep the Yankees and their fans at bay.

Toronto’s revenge tour is still up and running. Everything was firing on the Blue Jays’ side this weekend, and they will need these factors to play out at Yankee Stadium to stop their AL East rival. In the summer, Buck Martinez talked about how the Yankees weren’t a good team, even if their win-loss record was impeccable. Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone vocally disagreed to indicate that his team won’t go out quietly. But it’s time for the 2025 Blue Jays to prove Buck right.

The sweetest revenge is moving on, and Toronto can do just that by punching the ALCS in the Bronx. Just get the job done – it’s as simple as that.