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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays drop pivotal series to Yankees in Bo Bichette’s absence
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Photo credit: © Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Ian Finlayson
Sep 7, 2025, 16:30 EDTUpdated: Sep 7, 2025, 22:40 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays lost their final series of the season against the New York Yankees, yet won the season series 8-5, and remain two games up in the American League East.
Two bullpens that had struggled before this crucial series kept the score locked at 4-3 as early slugging against the starting pitchers decided this game and series at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Aaron Judge, the AL leader in walks, added three more to his total, including taking his second straight free pass in the bottom of the third before stealing second. Cody Bellinger then pounded a double off the right-field wall to retake the lead with what turned out to be the deciding run. 
In the top of the ninth, Nathan Lukes reached on a line-drive single, but was caught stealing immediately after on what appeared to be a hit-and-run play gone awry.  
Max Scherzer wasn’t at his best, walking four and allowing three hits and four runs over 4 1/3 innings against the lefty-laden Yankees’ order.  
But Scherzer was aggressive and got swing-and-miss. He attacked the zone early and often with his four-seam fastball, throwing first-pitch heaters to eight of the nine hitters he faced the first time through the order. The wily veteran struck out eight Yankees, finishing off his outing by freezing Judge with a full count slider down-and-away. 
Ryan Borucki, Braydon Fisher and Jeff Hoffman combined for 3 2/3 hitless innings, with Borucki getting key outs through the heart of the Yankees order and Fisher striking out the side in the seventh.  
Max Fried allowed seven baserunners and three runs over seven strong innings, setting down 11 consecutive batters to conclude his start.  
With the loss, the Blue Jays fell to 82-61 on the season with José Berríos slated to pitch Tuesday against the Astros after an off day on Monday.  
Bo Bichette was absent from the lineup after sliding hard into Austin Wells’ shin guard while being tagged out at home plate on Saturday. Bichette hobbled off the field after the play as the grounds crew also brought out the tarp for a one-hour, 46-minute rain delay. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said to reporters that “gut reaction, because of how important Bo is to our team, if it wasn’t a rain delay, I’m probably taking him out just to be sure.” However, the delay allowed Bichette to get X-rays, which came back negative, get treatment and remain in the lineup when play resumed.  
The Blue Jays’ efforts in Bichette’s absence had all the hallmarks of their success this season: Extra-base hits from their best bats, contributions from unheralded players both at the bottom of the lineup and in the bullpen and a resilient yet unspectacular start from an experienced pitcher. Yet it lacked the big hits that both their star shortstop and lineup as a whole have so often delivered.
In turn, the Yankees were opportunistic with their trademark power.  
After Judge walked and Bellinger flared a single to left to start the first inning, Ben Rice hammered the tenth pitch of his at-bat – a fastball up and over the plate – into the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Rice either fouled off or took six straight pitches before going yard, including a narrowly missed home run that hooked just foul three pitches prior. 
Judge’s arm strength – in question after he missed one-and-a-half months in the field due to an elbow flexor strain – made headlines when he returned to the outfield in Game 1 of the series on Friday. The towering slugger opted to make a soft lob to the infield instead of a play at the plate on what ended up as a two-run single by Lukes. The Blue Jays got a chance to test the former MVP’s arm out of the gate on Sunday as Ernie Clement and George Springer hit opposite-field line drives to right.  
Clement pushed for a double and narrowly beat out the throw to second. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then pulled a ground ball through the hole to score Alejandro Kirk from third, who led off the inning with a walk. Lukes followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Clement. This time, Judge didn’t attempt to make a play, softly flipping the ball to the cut-off man instead. 
Springer’s double to right led off the third, and Davis Schneider reached on Anthony Volpe’s AL-leading 19th error – the shortstop’s low throw pulled Rice off first base. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ripped a 114-m.p.h. double down the left-field line to drive in Springer and tie the game 3-3. Yet Fried recovered, inducing three soft-contact outs on the infield to strand Guerrero and Schneider at second and third, stamping out Toronto’s best opportunity to take the lead.

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