TORONTO — From April through September, the Toronto Blue Jays got the best of the New York Yankees, winning the AL East in a tiebreaker based on 8-5 head-to-head record that included a 6-1 advantage north of the border.
Starting Saturday, in the first October postseason meeting between these longtime division rivals, they’ll battle for a spot in the AL Championship Series against Seattle or Detroit.
Kevin Gausman will start Game 1 for the Blue Jays, opposed by the Yankees’ Luis Gil. Manager John Schneider said Gausman’s steadiness made him an easy choice.
“He’s the same guy every single day,” Schneider said. “You don’t worry about him getting caught up in the noise.”
After using his top three starters in this week’s Wild Card Series win over Boston, Yankees manager Aaron Boone picked Gil over Will Warren to open the ALDS.
“I feel like he’s ready for this and he’s in line,” Boone said. “I trust him to handle the situation.”
Gausman, a 34-year-old right-hander, went 10-11 with a 3.59 ERA and 189 strikeouts over 32 regular season starts.
“I’m ready to go,” Gausman said. “I’m fired up.”
Gausman went 2-1 in four outings against the Yankees. He allowed two home runs, both Giancarlo Stanton solo drives, in 22 2/3 innings.
Gil missed most of the season because of a right lat strain. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year went 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts after returning in early August.
“I feel really good,” Gil said through a translator. “I finally feel that I’m 100%.”
By playing Toronto, New York has just three opponents it won’t have faced in the postseason: the Chicago White Sox, Colorado, and Washington/Montreal.
Boone said left-hander Max Fried will start Sunday’s Game 2, with Carlos Rodón and rookie sensation Cam Schlittler expected to follow.
Toronto’s Schneider didn’t reveal who’d start Game 2. The leading candidates are 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber and rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage, who rose from low-A to the majors this season, going 1-0 in three September starts.
Yesavage struck out 160 batters in 98 innings across four minor league stops and fanned 16 more in 14 big league innings.
