The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> currently sit four games ahead of the New York Yankees and five and a half games ahead of the Boston Red Sox heading into Monday. The Blue Jays&#8217; magic number to clinch the division sits at nine after the Red Sox took the final game of their weekend series against the Yankees, which bodes well for the Jays, who swept the Baltimore Orioles this past weekend.

The Jays have fared well against their AL East rivals this season. They hold tiebreakers over the Yankees (8-5) and the Red Sox (7-3), even with three games to go against Boston to finish the year. Toronto also holds the season record over Baltimore with this recent sweep (7-6), even with the Orioles out of a postseason spot.
However, one team has given the Jays fits this season, and unfortunately for them, they still have seven games to go against the last remaining AL East rival: Tampa Bay.
The Rays have the Blue Jays&#8217; number this season, winning five of six games so far, which includes a three-game sweep back in late May at George Steinbrenner Field. Toronto&#8217;s lone win against the Rays came on May 14th, when the Jays won one game of three at home. The run differential meter favours the Rays heavily this year (17-39), and the Blue Jays were limited to three runs or fewer in five of those games; in fact, they authored just two runs across three games during their road trip to Tampa.
While the Rays need a bit of a miracle to enter the Wild Card picture, a rough stretch for Toronto may hurt the club&#8217;s chances of securing the division win and a potential first-round bye, putting the Jays back into the Wild Card picture. This is a situation Toronto needs to avoid if at all possible, especially since recent history doesn&#8217;t bode well for the Jays.
To combat a continued spiral against Tampa, the Blue Jays are calling upon one of their big guns for a pivotal debut start. <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-trey-yesavage-set-makes-big-league-debut-start-against-rays">Trey Yesavage,</a> the club&#8217;s top prospect and first-round selection last summer, will make his big league debut later this evening. Manager John Schneider stated that Yesavage isn&#8217;t on an innings limit and could be given some length if he is dealing against the Rays.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
CONFIRMED: Trey Yesavage will start and make his <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a> debut tomorrow! <a href="https://t.co/xD8GxWd2mB">pic.twitter.com/xD8GxWd2mB</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1967268035443790306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This move is rooted in keeping the Rays off their game. Not only does the organization likely have minimal tape on the Jays&#8217; right-hander, but Yesavage pitched at George Steinbrenner Field earlier this year and found success at the minor league park. The Rays share this park with the Yankees&#8217; Single-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, after Tropicana Field&#8217;s roof was destroyed by a hurricane.
Yesavage faced the Tarpons on April 25th and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out ten on 62 pitches. While the difference between the Tarpons and the Tampa Bay Rays is easily noted, it&#8217;s an interesting point in the grand scheme of things, considering the Jays called up a hot arm to make a pivotal start at this particular venue.
Another hurdle the Blue Jays will have to overcome is their lack of run production against the Rays. They scored 15 runs when they faced the Rays at the Rogers Centre, but struggled to give their pitchers any run support down in Tampa. Getting on the board early and giving the Jays starters some leverage to work with, especially for Yesavage during his debut, will go a long way despite the organization being the comeback kings this season.
The fact of the matter is, producing two runs across three games, similar to their earlier numbers this year, is not good enough to make the &#8216;magic number&#8217; for the postseason come down any faster. It will be a difficult task, especially since Bo Bichette is out of the lineup and the Rays are projected to send Ryan Pepiot (13 IP, 9 hits, 3 runs, 12 K&#8217;s through two starts vs the Jays this year), Ian Seymour (rookie arm the Jays haven&#8217;t faced before), and Shane Baz (10 1/3 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 10 K&#8217;s through two starts) as three of the four starters this week. Getting on board early will be a key part for the Jays, and these three starters, plus a Rays bullpen that ranks ninth in the league with a 3.71 ERA, will not make it easy for the Jays if they leave their bats at the Rogers Centre.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The countdown BEGINS ✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lightsupletsgo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lightsupletsgo</a>
Our Magic Number is&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/PsuAWkJzRK">pic.twitter.com/PsuAWkJzRK</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1967359778080129157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tampa Bay won&#8217;t be causing issues for the Jays in October, but if Toronto can&#8217;t find a way to slay this particular AL East demon over the next month, it makes for a tighter division race that could come back to bite the Blue Jays in a big way.
Avoiding the Wild Card series is key for the Jays if they want to break the &#8216;haven&#8217;t won a postseason game since 2016&#8217; narrative, and continuing to win and beating the Rays this week will go a long way to earn that significant bye week.
<hr />
<h2>PRESENTED BY 6IX INNING STRETCH PODCAST</h2>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88534" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/6IS-107-GRA_ShowPromo_727x404-V4.2.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/6IS-107-GRA_ShowPromo_727x404-V4.2.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/6IS-107-GRA_ShowPromo_727x404-V4.2-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a>
Love baseball? Don’t miss The 6ix Inning Stretch — the brand new podcast from The Nation Network, presented by Betway. Hosted by Toronto sports reporter Lindsay Dunn and 3-time MLB All-Star Whit Merrifield, this weekly show delivers insider stories, unfiltered Jays talk, player interviews, and expert analysis from around the majors. New episodes drop every Wednesday — listen on your favourite podcast platform or watch on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752618160475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0OzeJ9qt2a5kxzVjmdwaEg">Bluejaysnation YouTube channel.</a>

The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> currently sit four games ahead of the New York Yankees and five and a half games ahead of the Boston Red Sox heading into Monday. The Blue Jays' magic number to clinch the division sits at nine after the Red Sox took the final game of their weekend series against the Yankees, which bodes well for the Jays, who swept the Baltimore Orioles this past weekend.



The Jays have fared well against their AL East rivals this season. They hold tiebreakers over the Yankees (8-5) and the Red Sox (7-3), even with three games to go against Boston to finish the year. Toronto also holds the season record over Baltimore with this recent sweep (7-6), even with the Orioles out of a postseason spot.

However, one team has given the Jays fits this season, and unfortunately for them, they still have seven games to go against the last remaining AL East rival: Tampa Bay.

The Rays have the Blue Jays' number this season, winning five of six games so far, which includes a three-game sweep back in late May at George Steinbrenner Field. Toronto's lone win against the Rays came on May 14th, when the Jays won one game of three at home. The run differential meter favours the Rays heavily this year (17-39), and the Blue Jays were limited to three runs or fewer in five of those games; in fact, they authored just two runs across three games during their road trip to Tampa.

While the Rays need a bit of a miracle to enter the Wild Card picture, a rough stretch for Toronto may hurt the club's chances of securing the division win and a potential first-round bye, putting the Jays back into the Wild Card picture. This is a situation Toronto needs to avoid if at all possible, especially since recent history doesn't bode well for the Jays.

To combat a continued spiral against Tampa, the Blue Jays are calling upon one of their big guns for a pivotal debut start. <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-trey-yesavage-set-makes-big-league-debut-start-against-rays">Trey Yesavage,</a> the club's top prospect and first-round selection last summer, will make his big league debut later this evening. Manager John Schneider stated that Yesavage isn't on an innings limit and could be given some length if he is dealing against the Rays.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1967268035443790306

This move is rooted in keeping the Rays off their game. Not only does the organization likely have minimal tape on the Jays' right-hander, but Yesavage pitched at George Steinbrenner Field earlier this year and found success at the minor league park. The Rays share this park with the Yankees' Single-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, after Tropicana Field's roof was destroyed by a hurricane.

Yesavage faced the Tarpons on April 25th and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out ten on 62 pitches. While the difference between the Tarpons and the Tampa Bay Rays is easily noted, it's an interesting point in the grand scheme of things, considering the Jays called up a hot arm to make a pivotal start at this particular venue.

Another hurdle the Blue Jays will have to overcome is their lack of run production against the Rays. They scored 15 runs when they faced the Rays at the Rogers Centre, but struggled to give their pitchers any run support down in Tampa. Getting on the board early and giving the Jays starters some leverage to work with, especially for Yesavage during his debut, will go a long way despite the organization being the comeback kings this season.

The fact of the matter is, producing two runs across three games, similar to their earlier numbers this year, is not good enough to make the 'magic number' for the postseason come down any faster. It will be a difficult task, especially since Bo Bichette is out of the lineup and the Rays are projected to send Ryan Pepiot (13 IP, 9 hits, 3 runs, 12 K's through two starts vs the Jays this year), Ian Seymour (rookie arm the Jays haven't faced before), and Shane Baz (10 1/3 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 10 K's through two starts) as three of the four starters this week. Getting on board early will be a key part for the Jays, and these three starters, plus a Rays bullpen that ranks ninth in the league with a 3.71 ERA, will not make it easy for the Jays if they leave their bats at the Rogers Centre.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1967359778080129157

Tampa Bay won't be causing issues for the Jays in October, but if Toronto can't find a way to slay this particular AL East demon over the next month, it makes for a tighter division race that could come back to bite the Blue Jays in a big way.

Avoiding the Wild Card series is key for the Jays if they want to break the 'haven't won a postseason game since 2016' narrative, and continuing to win and beating the Rays this week will go a long way to earn that significant bye week.

<hr />

<h2>PRESENTED BY 6IX INNING STRETCH PODCAST</h2>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88534" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/6IS-107-GRA_ShowPromo_727x404-V4.2.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>

Love baseball? Don’t miss The 6ix Inning Stretch — the brand new podcast from The Nation Network, presented by Betway. Hosted by Toronto sports reporter Lindsay Dunn and 3-time MLB All-Star Whit Merrifield, this weekly show delivers insider stories, unfiltered Jays talk, player interviews, and expert analysis from around the majors. New episodes drop every Wednesday — listen on your favourite podcast platform or watch on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@bluejaysnationdotcom&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752618160475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0OzeJ9qt2a5kxzVjmdwaEg">Bluejaysnation YouTube channel.</a>

Recent articles from Tyson Shushkewich

Breaking News