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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays’ Yesavage, Guerrero make history in commanding win over Yankees
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Ian Finlayson
Oct 5, 2025, 20:08 EDTUpdated: Oct 6, 2025, 00:09 EDT
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Trey Yesavage said that he’s “built for this.” He proved that he is on Sunday.  
The 22-year-old rookie triumphantly smashed the Toronto Blue Jays’ single-game postseason record with 11 strikeouts over 5 1/3 no-hit innings in his playoff debut. Yesavage had his way, getting opposing hitters to comically flail at his offerings in a way no Blue Jay pitcher had before on this stage. Toronto rode his sensational start to a 12-0 sixth-inning lead, ultimately outslugging the New York Yankees 13-7 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their American League Division Series.  
The Blue Jays have outscored the Yankees 23-8 through two ALDS games so far. That’s a plus-15 run differential. Yesavage’s 18 whiffs also set a Blue Jays’ postseason record.  
“Tough to put it into words, you know,” said John Schneider after the game. “Kid started in A-ball.” 
Yesavage added: “I was sitting in there thinking about the comment I made the other day, where I said ‘I’m built for this.’ And I was like: ‘Well I better back that up.'”
After falling behind 1-2 to start the ballgame, the Yankees’ leadoff man, Trent Grisham, called time. Yesavage was already set, patiently stayed that way until Grisham re-entered the box and struck him out swinging on a second straight splitter.  
Yesavage got three swinging strikeouts with the devastating pitch in the first inning – around a four-pitch walk of Aaron Judge – as it tumbled down from the heavens and under Yankee bats. Yankees’ hitters swung at six splitters in the frame and missed on five. 
The Blue Jays staked their emerging star to a near insurmountable lead before he exited to a roaring ovation in the sixth.  
An Andres Gimenez single and walks to Myles Straw and George Springer set the stage for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the fourth. Up 2-1 in the count, he annihilated a 96 m.p.h. Will Warren fastball on the inside black into the second deck for the first postseason grand slam in Blue Jays’ franchise history. 
The face of the franchise broke out of his dismal end-of-season slump with his first postseason home run in an outstanding Game 1 performance against the Yankees on Saturday. It was fitting that Guerrero was the first Blue Jay to clear the bases with a blast in October – and a 111 m.p.h., 415-foot shot at that. Daulton Varsho made it a six-run inning and 11-0 lead by mashing a two-run shot to right.  
“This has gotta be cloud nine,” said Yesavage to media post-game. “I couldn’t imagine a better feeling right now.”
The scoring started when Varsho pulled a line drive to lead off the second, and Aaron Judge bobbled it along the wall, allowing the Blue Jays centre fielder to advance to third. Ernie Clement immediately made the extra base moot by golfing a first-pitch curveball into the left-field bullpen.  
The Blue Jays also had to show their league-best contact ability though. Schneider walked and took third on a Guerrero single the next inning, before scoring on an Alejandro Kirk tapper up the first-base line. Varsho then ripped a ground-ball RBI double down the right-field line before Clement yanked a line-drive RBI single to left, capping a three-run third. Yankees’ ace Max Fried was chased from the game after allowing seven runs on 10 baserunners through only three-plus innings. 
Springer smashed a solo shot, and Varsho added another long ball – he finished with two home runs and two doubles – giving the Blue Jays eight home runs in two postseason games, more than their seven total strikeouts.  
Toronto piling on runs inning after inning undoubtedly bolstered Yesavage’s confidence, not that he needed it. He stayed statuesque in his set position through another two-strike Grisham timeout the next time he was up at the plate. The moustachioed lefty managed to take one ball low this time before waving over another splitter. 
Yesavage was “beyond floored” by the Blue Jays’ decision to start him in Game 2. John Schneider said to reporters: “I think having him pitch here as opposed to what will be a hostile environment in New York plays into it a little bit,” after he announced Yesavage and Shane Bieber as the Game 2 and 3 starters on Saturday. But another factor in having Yesavage start Game 2 could have been his unorthodox release point.  
His 63-degree arm angle is the second steepest in MLB, and his release point maxes out at well over seven feet, among the highest in the game. Part of what makes the sensational rookie so effective is that batters simply aren’t used to a delivery like his.  
We saw Yankees hitters waving at pitches seemingly feet beyond their reach, frantically navigating iPads in the dugout to get a clue how to handle what they were facing, staring off into the distance, confounded even before the deficit grew well beyond their reach. Ben Rice was in hell. 
Preparing for opposing starters with the Trajekt pitching machine, which can mimic all of the elements of a pitcher’s delivery and stuff, including release point, arm angle, velocity and spin rate, has become commonplace across the major leagues. Much of the Blue Jays’ home success this season (56-27) has been theoretically attributed in part to this new technology. New York also has a Trajekt machine at Yankee Stadium. Another possible reason for starting Yesavage in Game 2 was keeping the Yankees from using Trajekt to familiarize themselves with the right-hander’s unconventional delivery.  
Yesavage was drafted 20th overall in 2024, made his minor league debut in front of a crowd of just over 300 people at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., on April 8 and dominantly shot through all four minor-league levels to make his major-league debut Sept. 15. His playoff debut – and fourth total major-league start – was witnessed by 44,764 elated fans. 
“It’s something I’ve never felt before,” said Yesavage. “The energy and the passion that this fanbase has. All 44,000 people that were here tonight, is special, and, I mean, they’re the reason that I had so much juice and life in me, and I thank them for it.”

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