Jun 29, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) walks back to the dugout at an MLB game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Tipped Pitches Wasn't Why Yankees Beat Blue Jays

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider made it a point to mention that Max Scherzer was tipping his pitches. In the same breath as saying that his team needed to be better at hiding their tells, he also stated that he's one of the few managers publicly speaking out about the New York Yankees' ability to read pitches.

It was an odd comment, but tipping only played a minor role in Toronto's loss. Ben Rice's three-run blast early on was huge, but the game was won by Max Fried, working himself in and out of trouble.

I really don’t like this guy pic.twitter.com/tC1brHiyfw
— Joey (@DJLeMVP) September 8, 2025

In the third inning, Fried was on the ropes. He allowed two runs in the second and was primed to give up more in the third. Things were off to a bad start after a George Springer double, which was followed by Davis Schneider reaching after another throwing error by Anthony Volpe. With runners on first and second with no outs, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did more damage in the Bronx. His double tied the game, and the Jays had a man on second and third with no outs.

After a six-pitch at-bat, Alejandro Kirk grounded out. Erie Clement then lined out to Anthony Volpe after a spectacular diving play kept the ball from leaving the infield. Then, the death knell in the inning was Ty France grounding out to third baseman Ryan McMahon.

The Blue Jays had a 65.8% win probability after the Guerrero double. That fell to 44.6% once France made the last out of the inning. Cody Bellinger would respond in the bottom of the third by driving in Aaron Judge, and the Yankees wouldn't look back. Neither team scored again, and the Yankees did enough to win, leaving them just two games behind the Jays in the AL East. The game would have been over if the Jays had capitalized in the third.

On an afternoon where the Yankees honored CC Sabathia, Fried, another lefty with a big arm and an even bigger payday, paid homage to the former ace by spinning a gem in this pivotal series. His tightrope act was masterful. The outing resembled Sabathia's second half in the 2009 season, where the team's new ace helped them storm past a Boston Red Sox team that had owned them for most of the season.

After the game, Fried gave his opponent a little more credit than Schneider did when he met with the media.

"It's a really good team over there; they don't give up much," Fried said. "You've got to really go out there and make sure you're on top of it. We were able to win two and win the series."