After the victories of the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Tigers in the wild cards, the Major League Baseball postseason enters a new dimension with the Division Series, the prelude to the battles for the pennants of each circuit. These will be electric duels, five games to win three, so there is not much room for recovery if you start on the wrong foot.
In the American League, the Yankees will face the Blue Jays and the Tigers will face the Mariners, while in the National League, the Dodgers will face the Phillies and the Brewers will face the Cubs.
On Canadian soil, what could be considered an early final between Toronto and New York will begin, two teams that fought until the last day of the season for the American League East Division title. Finally, the Blue Jays took first place and forced the Bombers to play the wild card against Boston, a series that ended with the Yankees’ comeback.
Honours
- Toronto Blue Jays: 2 World Series, 2 American League titles. They have not advanced to a World Series in 22 years.
- New York Yankees: 27 World Series, 41 American League titles. The winningest team in history has gone 15 years without a title, its second-worst streak in the last 100 years.
Head-to-head
- Historical matchup: 403 wins for the Yankees, 335 wins for the Blue Jays.
- Head-to-head in 2025: The Blue Jays dominated the head-to-head matchup 8-5, with 70 runs scored and 59 allowed. Toronto won six of the seven games they played at Rogers Centre, while at Yankee Stadium the balance was 4-2 in favor of the New Yorkers.
- Postseason meetings: They have never met in the playoffs.
The stars
Aaron Judge (Yankees)
He once again proved that he is the best hitter in baseball today without a doubt. In 2025, he led the majors in average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, OPS+ and intentional walks, as well as leading the American League in runs scored, free passes and total bases. In addition, “The Judge” joined the immortal Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx as the only players in history to win the batting title with a 50+ home run season. He hit five home runs in 13 games against Boston, with an OPS of 1.008, although he struck out 22 times in 56 plate appearances.
George Springer (Blue Jays)
With all due respect to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., outfielder George Springer has been the most impactful player in Toronto’s lineup in 2025. His growth from one year to the next has been brutal. In 2024, for example, his OPS was .674 and this season it rose to .959. Springer experienced the biggest increases in MLB in on-base percentage (from .303 to .399) and slugging (from .371 to .560). This improvement was crucial for the Blue Jays, who were also able to take advantage of the great performances of Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes and Guerrero Jr. himself.
The keys
Toronto was a thorn in the Yankees’ side in 2025. Their head-to-head matchups marked a considerable distance between the two teams, although the New Yorkers eventually managed to close the gap and finish tied with the same overall win-loss record (94-68). The Bombers’ finish was also better and, in addition, they are buoyed by the comeback against the Red Sox in the Wild Card.
Another important issue for this series will be the absentees. The Blue Jays will be without Bo Bichette, one of their best hitters in the regular season, and they will also be without pitchers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt, two experienced and important arms in the rotation. In this respect, the Yankees have the advantage because they have Luis Gil, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Cam Schlittler available to start in that order.
Prediction
Yankees win 3-2.
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