NEW YORK – Throughout the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was soaked in champagne and speaking concerning the largest win of his life. Sporting ski goggles and a sopping 2025 ALCS Blue Jays t-shirt, he replied to query after query as music pumped by way of the clubhouse audio system.
“The job’s not completed,” he calmly advised one media member after the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 5-2 to advance to the ALCS. “We’ve received eight extra to go.”
As quickly as Guerrero Jr. ended this interview, one other wave of reporters arrived with extra questions, this time in Spanish.
At occasions, he was calm, at occasions just a little extra animated. “Daaaaa Yankees lose,” a smiling Guerrero Jr. advised David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter stay on FOX Sports activities whereas Yariel Rodriguez doused him with beer.
After an ALDS efficiency during which Guerrero Jr. collected 9 hits, together with three dwelling runs, there was no query he belonged within the highlight because the Blue Jays celebrated the 3-1 collection win over the Yankees. Close by, as Bo Bichette celebrated the win along with his teammates, he mirrored on reaching one other milestone along with his longtime good friend and teammate.
“It’s not stunning,” Bichette stated. “I feel he simply loves being in these moments. It was superior to look at.”
“We wished to win a World Collection our total careers,” Bichette continued. “Clearly we’re not there but, however this can be a large step. It’s actually a blessing to be part of this group.”
With the win, the Blue Jays did one thing they haven’t achieved in 9 years: win a playoff collection. They’re again within the ALCS for the primary time since 2016 with a matchup towards both the Tigers or Mariners that begins in Toronto Sunday.
Later, whereas the group celebrated on the sphere, president Mark Shapiro stood quietly by the guests dugout, reflecting on what they’d simply achieved. He spoke extremely of the Yankees, praising the general energy of their roster, together with latest trades for Ryan McMahon and David Bednar. However whereas the Yankees had been a formidable opponent, Shapiro described the 2025 Blue Jays as the image of resilience, dedication and group effort.
“And these guys, they actually personify that,” Shapiro advised Sportsnet.ca. “While you watch a celebration, you hope that is what you are celebrating, not simply successful, however doing it in a means that makes a metropolis and a rustic – and I used to be proud. That is the way it felt.”
Shapiro then paused briefly, earlier than including one additional thought.
“That and silence in Yankee Stadium,” he stated, smiling. “That is the best sound. I’ve heard it twice in my profession. And as a lot as I might at all times wish to have fun at dwelling, this might be the second-best place on this planet to have fun, as a result of there’s nothing higher than listening to full silence and simply 30 guys in the midst of the sphere. It is unbelievable.”
This win was emblematic of the 2025 Blue Jays in that it featured contributions from so many various gamers and confirmed off lots of the group’s strengths: robust at-bats, sturdy defence and dramatically improved reduction pitching.
However the significance of this win additionally extends properly past this season. It represents a launch after 9 years which have included loads of frustration, a brand new excessive water mark for gamers, coaches and entrance workplace workers alike and validation that the work taking place behind the scenes actually does repay.
On the pitching aspect, Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty, Seranthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Jeff Hoffman mixed to restrict the most effective lineup in baseball to only two runs on six hits.
On the plate, Guerrero Jr. was the offensive star of the collection, however Wednesday’s win was made doable due to a group method that featured a number of contact and aggressive baserunning. The Blue Jays struck out simply twice towards hard-throwing Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who dominated the Purple Sox on his option to 12 strikeouts in his playoff debut final week.
And on a day huge names like George Springer and Anthony Santander had been comparatively quiet on the plate, the largest hits got here from Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw – every of whom was thought of a task participant getting into the season.
“Fairly wonderful to beat them, man, and the way in which we did it was fairly cool,” Shapiro stated.
All through the ALDS, the Blue Jays confirmed off enviable depth, defeating an immensely proficient Yankees group that, whereas constructed in a different way than the Blue Jays, had a respectable shot at returning to the World Collection had been it not for his or her AL East rivals.
The collection win places the Blue Jays 4 wins away from their first World Collection look since 1993, however already this season might be thought of successful in some ways.
For homegrown gamers like Guerrero Jr., Bichette and Alejandro Kirk, these three wins are the primary of their playoff careers. They’ve now received their first collection within the main leagues, constructing on the success they loved as minor-leaguers enjoying beneath John Schneider again in 2017.
“I’m actually completely satisfied for them, as a result of it’s been nothing however failure within the post-season for the previous couple years,” Schneider stated. “For Vlad to have the collection he did, hopefully Bo can get again, Kirky being who he’s all 12 months, it’s good to flip the narrative just a little and transfer on to the ALCS.”
For Schneider and his teaching workers, this win is a reward for the onerous work that occurs behind the scenes all 12 months — and proof that the changes made after painful playoff exits in 2022 and 2023 are paying off.
“It makes you be ok with the work that you simply do and the assist that you simply get from so many various those that don’t get acknowledged,” Schneider stated. “I normally get scrutinized for choices good or dangerous – normally dangerous. Nevertheless it provides us lots of achievement to stay to a course of.”
And for a entrance workplace that confronted loud public criticism as not too long ago as this low season, this win reveals that Shapiro has the group in a wholesome place and that GM Ross Atkins, in buying each participant on the 40-man besides Guerrero Jr., has constructed a robust roster.
As Schneider remarked not too long ago, baseball is usually a merciless sport. After Wednesday, the Yankees can definitely attest to that. However whereas the Blue Jays have recognized their share of merciless moments in recent times, together with playoff sweeps and painful near-misses in free company, it is now others who should navigate that ache.
In Toronto, the work is paying off. And whereas extra challenges await this group, they’ve collectively reached heights this franchise hasn’t matched in years, with an opportunity to attain much more.
“It means rather a lot. We’ve had lots of ups and downs, so it feels good successful with them,” Guerrero Jr. stated. “I’ve been enjoying with them since 2016, and to me we’ve received to proceed, imagine in one another and attempt to win all of it.”
