TORONTO — With the bases loaded, no one out and Aaron Decide up on the plate, the Yankees lastly appeared like a menace in Sport 1 of the ALDS.
Kevin Gausman had been efficient and economical by means of the primary 5 innings, requiring simply 50 pitches with the assistance of some dazzling protection and impatient at-bats from the Bombers. However with Anthony Volpe main the sixth off with a double and Austin Wells and Trent Grisham following with a single and a stroll, respectively, the right-hander appeared to be in bother with Decide, contemporary off one other MVP-caliber season, approaching the batter’s field.
Alas, the Yankees captain struck out on eight pitches, chasing a 3-2 splitter under the zone. Decide’s waving bat elicited a roar from Rogers Centre’s packed crowd, which erupted once more just a few batters later when Louis Varland fanned Giancarlo Stanton with a 100.7-mph, inning-ending fastball down the center of the plate.
With the Yankees solely mustering one run on a stroll within the sixth, the Blue Jays went on to win the first-ever postseason matchup between the division rivals, 10-1. The result adopted a daily season that noticed the Yankees play a few of their worst baseball north of the border, as they misplaced 6-of-7 video games on the Rogers Centre over two collection this summer season.
Kevin Gausman strikes out Aaron Decide in a large spot! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/Z4pkQJN4tp
Whereas the Yankees’ bats had been almost silenced, Luis Gil put them in an early gap, surrendering two homers within the first two innings.
The righty’s first mistake got here with two outs within the opening body, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has made his distaste for the Yankees well-known, took the pitcher deep for a solo dwelling run, the primary of his postseason profession. Guerrero, who labored by means of some mechanical changes in the course of the Blue Jays’ bye week – their reward for outlasting the Yankees in an American League East race that got here all the way down to the common season’s remaining day – had not homered in his final 21 video games.
Luis Gil did not have it on Saturday afternoon. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press by way of AP)
With one Yankees killer placing Toronto on the board, one other padded the Jays’ lead within the second inning when Alejandro Kirk led off with one other bases-empty blast. Gil didn’t give up any extra runs after that, however the Jays ran him from the sport with two outs within the third inning after Guerrero, who additionally recorded an unassisted diving double play within the second, lined a single.
Gil totaled 4 hits, two runs, two strikeouts and 48 pitches over 2.2 innings, the shortest outing of a marketing campaign that was restricted to 11 common season begins because of a spring coaching lat harm.
Regardless of some sturdy floor numbers, the 2025 model of Gil by no means resembled the 2024 model, who received the American League’s Rookie of the 12 months Award with a high-octane fastball that racked up strikeouts.
Together with his season debut delayed till Aug. 3 this 12 months, Gil needed to struggle by means of the identical command points he displayed a season in the past, however with out the speed and whiffs that set him aside. He nonetheless managed a 3.32 ERA – sufficient for the Yankees to publicly insist they favored what they noticed – however he clearly benefited from some good luck alongside the best way.
That luck ran out Saturday after the Yankees settled on Gil as their Sport 1 starter over Will Warren. The rookie, one other righty, posted a 4.44 ERA over 33 begins this season, however he struggled in his lone outing towards Toronto, permitting 10 hits, eight earned runs and 4 walks in Canada on July 2.
Warren hasn’t pitched within the postseason – Gil began within the ALCS and World Collection final 12 months –so Boone opted to maintain the rookie within the bullpen for now.
Talking of the bullpen, the Yankees’ first two relievers stored the membership within the recreation Saturday, as Tim Hill and Camilo Doval allowed only one hit over 3.1 scoreless innings. Nevertheless, Luke Weaver’s struggles continued, as he started the seventh with a five-pitch stroll and a single earlier than allowing an RBI knock to Andrés Giménez.
With Fernando Cruz taking on from there, Weaver didn’t report an out for the second time in as many appearances this postseason, as he additionally gave up two runs in Sport 1 of the Wild Card Collection.
Those that adopted didn’t fare any higher, as Nathan Lukes ripped a two-run double off Cruz earlier than Guerrero added a sac fly. The eighth inning introduced extra injury, as Kirk crushed one other solo homer off Paul Blackburn.
The righty additionally allowed an RBI double to Giménez, a sac fly to Ernie Clement and an RBI single to Lukes, turning Sport 1 of the ALDS right into a laugher on the Yankees’ expense.
Initially Revealed: October 4, 2025 at 7:22 PM EDT
