Why a strong September finish is crucial for the Blue Jays’ playoff push

Compared to the 2024 Twins, the Blue Jays are in a slightly better position.

They recorded a winning August (barely), but where it gets difficult is their remaining regular-season games. Toronto doesn’t have any “easy” teams left on its schedule. Rather, the team has more challenging rivals lined up, featuring the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. In theory, facing the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Kansas City Royals should be easier, but no teams are ever easy to face in reality.

It also doesn’t help that the Blue Jays haven’t really had the best time facing the Orioles, Rays or Royals this season. If the past win-loss record is telling, their series against these three teams will be some of the hardest, depending on how well they play against other teams in September. August was a chance for Toronto to win more games against weaker teams on paper, but because they couldn’t quite accomplish that, September looms larger than ever, with tougher teams on paper.

Despite the tribulations, true contenders are good at one thing: they bank wins against good teams. Thankfully, the Blue Jays have a 40-33 record against teams with over .500 winning percentage, indicating that the team is more than capable of winning games against stronger opponents. However, the pressure and spotlight will only intensify as time goes on. The more games the team loses, the more cynical and critical everyone will become – such is the life of a team with a chance at bigger hopes and dreams.

The Blue Jays’ mission in September is pretty simple: win as many games as possible, which is easier said than done. Winning matters even more with the Red Sox and Yankees threatening to take over the division. Toronto’s division lead shrank to three and three-and-a-half games, respectively, as both AL East rivals recorded a decent winning month in August.

Out of all three AL East contenders, Boston and New York have easier opponents in September, compared to the Blue Jays. There’s nothing like a breath of fresh air when there are the Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox on the schedule; that’s what Boston and New York have while the Blue Jays are left to face some of the peskiest good-bad teams, along with strong playoff contenders.

One of the crucial jobs a playoff contender has to do is win against other strong contenders during the regular season. The playoffs are full of really good teams who won’t give much room for error. With that in mind, the Blue Jays’ schedule is quite literally preparing them for the tough playoff stage. There is a reason why teams like the Twins and White Sox aren’t even in the playoff picture, which means that facing worthy contenders like the Astros and Red Sox will only help sharpen Toronto and help them adjust so that they can create a path towards more sustainable wins in the playoffs.

September is anything but rosy for the scrappy Blue Jays. But wasn’t that the name of the game anyway this entire season for this team? Nobody expected them to be this good to begin with, but they have proved them wrong. If Toronto wishes to extend its magical run, now is the time. There is a chance to still prove everyone wrong. The Blue Jays’ grit got them this far; now is hardly the time to give up on their magical run.