NFL
By Billy Lewis:
The race for the American League East crown went until the final day of the regular season. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays each swept their final series and finished with an identical 94-68 record. The Blue Jays took the regular-season series against the Yankees and thus were crowned AL East champions.
Missing out on the division title put the Yankees in the Wild Card round against the Red Sox. The Yankees became the first team since the new Wild Card round (since 2022) to lose the first game of the series, but still come back to win.
The Yankees were helped by terrific starting pitching, including a historical gem from rookie Cam Schlittler. Schlittler became the first pitcher in postseason history to have a start of 8 innings, 12 or more strikeouts, zero runs, and zero walks. Achieving this feat while making his playoff debut in a winner-take-all game adds to the awe factor.
New York Yankees Turn Attention to Blue Jays
The 2025 ALDS will be the first-ever postseason matchup between the Yankees and Jays. Winning the division allowed the Blue Jays the advantage of setting their pitching rotation as they desired. While the Yankees were battling the Red Sox, Toronto earned a first-round bye.
New York will turn to Luis Gil in Game One Saturday afternoon. Toronto will throw Kevin Gausman. Schlittler throwing 8 complete innings Thursday night was a huge help to the Yankees’ bullpen. David Bednar did pitch in all three Wild Card games, but Schlittler allowed every other reliever to get a breather. However, the Blue Jays will have a completely rested pitching staff.
The Bronx Bombers advanced past the Red Sox, despite not quite living up to their nickname. Scoring only 9 runs in the Wild Card series, the Yankees were carried in large part by their pitching staff. Though only hitting a pair of home runs in the series, the Bombers capitalized on some timely hitting.
While the pitching was great against Boston, the lineup will look to get going in the ALDS. If they are able to put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard, it will go a long way in helping their pitching staff.
Defense is going to be vital for the Yankees against the Jays. Toronto puts the ball in play, having the 2nd fewest strikeouts in the MLB this season.
They were also Major League Baseball’s leader in On-Base Percentage, finishing at .333. The Yankees were right behind Toronto at .332, but the Bombers struck out more than 350 times more than the Blue Jays.
Prediction:
The Yankees played a well-rounded series in the Wild Card round. Despite not hitting many home runs, they played good defense, ran the bases well, and had timely hitting.
Yankees win the series 3-1.
