Oct 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) stands on first base with Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) during the ninth inning during game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Set Bizarre Postseason History in ALDS Loss

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Dec 28, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays proved themselves to be the all-around better AL East team this season, crushing the New York Yankees in the ALDS and heading on to their first World Series since 1993. Along the way, the Yankees generously helped the Blue Jays achieve a postseason streak that had never been struck before.

In his summary of all the weirdest and most notable events of this year in baseball, Jayson Stark of The Athletic included the Blue Jays' 20 consecutive home runs between home runs from the Yankees. He rightly entitled this section "The Bronx Bummers".

"Back in 1927 and 1928, probably the most legendary Yankees teams of them all won back-to-back World Series," Stark wrote. "You know how many runs they gave up in those two World Series combined? That would be 20."

"Why would I bring that up? Because in Games 1 and 2 of this ALDS, the Yankees gave up 20 runs to the Blue Jays in a little stretch that went like this: 20 runs, 20 outs!"

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"Oh, and one more thing. The Blue Jays scored 20 runs just in between runs scored by the Yankees. And how many other teams have ever plated that many runs in a row in a single postseason series? That, of course, would be zilch."

Yankees Chasing Blue Jays' Recent Model?

The Blue Jays' dominance in the AL East was only in question very briefly near the end of the regular season, as the Yankees raced to catch them for the division title (falling just short of the Blue Jays' tiebreaker, lucky to eliminate the Boston Red Sox in a Wild Card series that will go down in history). Now facing the consequences of their own offensive strategy, the Yankees have the opportunity to learn from their approach and improve this year. Will they manage to do it?

The Yankees have been criticized for their home run-reliant approach to the offense, with Alex Rodriguez recently describing their hitting philosophy as "broken" (naming Anthony Volpe as a prime example of that brokenness). The Yankees need more contact, that's where the Blue Jays absolutely blue them away (sorry), but they don't seem to be doing much at all so far this winter.

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Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner praised the Blue Jays for their performance this year back in November, and that admiration may shape the offseason they decide to have. Naming them as the all-around better team, it seems to follow that the Yankees would make moves to catch up rather than fall behind.

"You can't simply be a slugging home-run team," Steinbrenner said, via Sportsnet. They had a great year. I'm curious to see next year how well they do, with that roster, assuming it stays mostly intact, but they're a great team."

"They definitely played better than us, they slugged better than us, they hit the ball and put it in play better than us, and they pitched better than us, and that's why they won."

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