Blue Jays' core makes history against Yankees, pushes deeper into uncharted territory

New York Times

6 days ago

TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. cocked his arm back and bellowed as he slid across home. He then popped into a deep squat, his chain flailing as he reached back to slam five fingers into the outstretched hand of teammate George Springer. The high-five fit somewhere between anger and elation, perhaps from the pure catharsis of stealing back the lead for the Toronto Blue Jays.
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This is uncharted territory for the Blue Jays' core, and Guerrero's sliding celebration showed it in a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees on Monday night. Since Bo Bichette and Guerrero debuted in 2019, the Jays haven't held a division lead this close to the trade deadline. They've never heard a Toronto crowd this invested, this early, with this much reason to cheer.
'This is the best this fan base has been for us since I've been in the big leagues,' Bichette said, 'in regular-season games. It's what I remember watching on TV when I was 17 at home, watching (José) Bautista and (Josh) Donaldson.'
The victory before a raucous crowd of 41,786 secured a franchise-record 11th straight victory at home. It pulled Toronto one win away from stealing the season series from New York and clinching a potentially crucial postseason tiebreaker. But more than anything, it showcased the real significance of a July series against the Yankees — the unfamiliar feeling of big games, sold-out crowds and a true pennant race.
'Anytime you're facing the team that's right on your heels, it's going to be fun,' Kevin Gausman said. 'Honestly didn't know what to expect on a Monday night, but this place was rocking.'
The Jays' stated goal since the first game of the season is to treat every contest with the same significance. It was, once again, manager John Schneider's message before the series opener.
'Obviously, it's the Yankees,' Chris Bassitt said hours before first pitch. 'It's a division matchup. But it has to be like every other game. We just have to play our game.'
The Blue Jays can keep many things consistent, from an April game against the Washington Nationals to a late July contest against the Yankees in the heat of a division race. Every batter ducks into the same hitters meeting and breaks down the same scouting reports. They take identical batting practice reps and walk through a routine in the bullpen. There's value to that normalcy.
But when the first pitch is thrown, it's the moments between the strikeouts and singles — the brief eruptions of emotion — that prove the real weight of games. It's easy to spot which ones mean more.
ENERGY 🗣️ #lightsupletsgo pic.twitter.com/kyjVWyVkOM
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 22, 2025
Myles Straw threw his fist in the air as he rounded first base in the fifth inning. It was the type of celebration normally saved for a crushed homer or crucial walk-off. But this raised fist followed a gritty infield single, scoring an insurance run thanks to a wide throw from the Yankees' Oswald Peraza.
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There's a reason a gaggle of cameras encircled Schneider for his pregame media availability. There's something motivating fans to push into Rogers Centre on a Monday night to form the Jays' highest weekday attendance of the season. It takes a specific moment to unlock 96.9 mph for Gausman, easily his hardest pitch of the night, with two strikes against Aaron Judge.
The Jays still have 62 games to play and two more this week against the Yankees. They hope consistency will help them navigate an inevitable losing skid and increasing significance as October nears. But there are still series that mean more. The Jays entered the game three wins up on the Yankees, with a chance to let New York back in the race or continue building a division lead that becomes increasingly real. Now it's a four-game lead.
Jeff Hoffman has spun on the mound after a save 24 times this year, thrusting his fists down in celebration. But as the home crowd bounced cheers around Rogers Centre in the ninth inning, his save-sealing spin had extra juice: a faster pivot, a crisper downward punch.
There are brief pops of emotion in every victory, but this one held more than most. It's the type of fire that blazes only in the thick of a pennant race. It's a new feeling for the Blue Jays, at least as a collective group, but one they may have to get used to.
'It's definitely a little bit of a different feel,' Schneider said, 'than earlier in the season.'
Anthony Santander remains 'a couple weeks away from hitting,' Schneider said. Toronto's biggest offseason acquisition hasn't appeared in a game since May after suffering a shoulder subluxation while crashing into the stands in Anaheim, Calif. The switch hitter attempted to play through the injury for three weeks and regularly hit in the batting cage to rediscover his timing, which Schneider said likely 'made it a little worse.'
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The Jays are hopeful Santander can return later this season, but the increasing delays in his recovery might impact Toronto's trade deadline plans. The Venezuelan hit 44 homers last year and inked a $92.5 million deal to inject power into Toronto's lineup. The Jays entered play with the 10th most runs scored in baseball, surviving Santander's absence, but could replace the lost power threat with a deadline addition.
Potential offensive fits from The Athletic's latest trade deadline big board include third baseman Eugenio Suárez (Arizona Diamondbacks), first baseman Ryan O'Hearn (Baltimore Orioles), and outfielders Taylor Ward (Los Angeles Angels) and Adolis García (Texas Rangers).
(Photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer: Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)