The Yankees had opportunities to set the tone in Game 1 of the ALDS, but they couldn’t capitalize, and the Blue Jays made them pay.
Toronto rolled to a 10-1 win Saturday night, powered by two home runs from catcher Alejandro Kirk and an early blast from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The loss puts New York down 0-1 in the best-of-five series.
Luis Gil’s 2025 postseason lasted just 2.2 innings. The right-hander was lifted in the third inning after allowing two homers, leaving the bullpen to pick up the slack, but the relief corps faltered again. Luke Weaver, appearing for the second time this postseason, failed to record an out and was charged with three runs. Fernando Cruz and Paul Blackburn also struggled, surrendering four more combined. By the end, the Blue Jays had blown the game open.
The Yankees’ offense was an issue as well, but their best chance came in the sixth, when they loaded the bases with no outs for Aaron Judge. Judge worked the count full but struck out after chasing a pitch out of the zone, and New York managed just one run on Cody Bellinger’s bases-loaded walk.
On the other side, Kevin Gausman delivered exactly what Toronto needed. Efficient and composed, the veteran righty threw just 75 pitches across 5.2 innings, limiting New York to one run while striking out five.
Now, the Yankees will turn to ace Max Fried in Game 2 on Sunday in Toronto, looking to even the series before it shifts back to Yankee Stadium. The first pitch is set for 4:08 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].