Coming into the American League Division Series, it was supposed to be the Toronto Blue Jays‘ scrap-it-out, every-man-in, small-ball offense
Coming into the American League Division Series, it was supposed to be the Toronto Blue Jays‘ scrap-it-out, every-man-in, small-ball offense against the big, bad, Bronx Bombing offense of the New York Yankees.
Turns out, in Game 1, it was only the Blue Jays that were launching bombs. Toronto drove three balls out of Rogers Centre, on their way to a 10-1 demolition of the Yankees.
Their Half-Billion Dollar Man, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., got the Jays started in the first inning with his first-ever postseason home run.
There he is.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) October 4, 2025
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just launched his first career postseason home run.
The #BlueJays are up, 1-0, and this place is on fire. pic.twitter.com/gLFcLB5jc5
The day before, we made the case that Vladdy needs to be the difference-maker—the franchise player that he’s getting paid to be—if this team was to make noise in these playoffs. Consider it done. At least, for one game.
Guerrero went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, setting the pace for the Blue Jays. He came into this series with a .136 career postseason average and zero homers.
Let’s not forget about his partner-in-crime on this day, Alejandro Kirk. The catcher’s renaissance season continued in Game 1 in a big way, with a pair of home runs.
KIRK IS ON ANOTHER PLANET RIGHT NOW! pic.twitter.com/T6WwaZmTOj
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 4, 2025
The actual ‘Bombers’ from the Bronx, by the way, only managed to scratch out one extra-base hit among their six knocks, a double by Anthony Volpe.
So what about Aaron Judge, one of the greatest power hitters in the history of the game? His playoff history was also sketchy coming into 2025 with a .205 lifetime mark. He did bat .364 in the three-game Wild Card Series win over the Boston Red Sox, and he had two singles in Game 1 against Toronto. But very little impact.
Blue Jays combine power with their usual gritty full-lineup approach
For the Blue Jays, although they took a page out of the Yankees’ power book for this one, they made sure that their signature small-ball, full-lineup style remained intact as well. They rapped out 14 hits in all, with no less than five players, top to bottom in the lineup, notching a pair of hits.
Kevin Gausman, the Jays’ ace, did Kevin Gausman things, holding the Yankees down with 5.2 solid innings.
Next up, Toronto turns to its rookie sensation, Trey Yesavage, for the start in Game 2. And once again, they’ll try to pull a page out of the Yankees’ book, who rode the performance of their own hot rookie, Cam Schlittler, to their deciding game victory over the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series. This time, the Jays’ phenom takes center stage. The Yankees counter with Max Fried.
Related Headlines
Category: General Sports
