TORONTO -- Six months of baseball hasn’t solved a thing. It all comes down to Game 162.
The Blue Jays, now one win away from their first American League East title since 2015, have both hands on the wheel entering the final day of the season.
Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Rays was matched yet again by a Yankees win, keeping them tied atop the division, but the Blue Jays hold the almighty tiebreaker. With a win Sunday, the Blue Jays clinch not only the division, but a bye to the ALDS. If the Blue Jays lose, though, control of the division quickly shifts to the Yankees. This season is teetering atop a mountain, ready to tumble in any direction.
“There’s no doubt in our minds we can win a World Series,” said Ernie Clement, who broke the game open with a two-run double in the second. “I think we have the pieces. We have the mindset. We’re all really confident.”
All the Blue Jays can do at this point is handle their own business, though, and that’s exactly what they did. With one of the most important home debuts in Blue Jays history, Trey Yesavage introduced himself to Canada with a brilliant performance, throwing five scoreless innings with five strikeouts on a career-high 94 pitches.
“That was impressive. That was really impressive for a 22-year-old kid who started the year [in Single-A],” manager John Schneider said. “He just showed us that he can pitch in big spots, and he enjoyed the moment a little bit. He made big pitches and picked up our defense. It was really fun to watch.”
What a season this has been for Yesavage, the 22-year-old who began the year in Single-A Dunedin, pitching against teenagers with a handful of fans scattered through the bleachers. He dominated at all four levels of the Minor Leagues, but what we’re witnessing here is rare. Yesavage, in his first year of pro ball, has climbed every rung of the ladder and is already one of the three most important starting pitchers on this roster, behind Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber.
In Yesavage’s second career start in Kansas City, the Blue Jays clinched their postseason spot and popped champagne. Saturday, in his third, Yesavage kept the Blue Jays alive and put his team on the doorstep of a dream ending to a dream season. Welcome to the big leagues.
“Playing in front of this crowd, it’s hard not to be fired up,” Yesavage said. “Going out there for the first time was special. If I could do it again tomorrow, I would. That was a lot of fun.”
The Blue Jays will now turn to Kevin Gausman to clinch the division Sunday. Doing so would not only buy the Blue Jays some valuable time to potentially get Bo Bichette back from his left knee sprain, but also allow manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays to carefully craft their rotation plans. Yesavage, stunning as this is given where his season began, now belongs in those plans. Whether it’s a Wild Card Series or an ALDS, Yesavage has done enough to pitch Game 3 behind Gausman and Bieber.
Yesavage’s timing has been a gift to this team. Max Scherzer has struggled down the stretch, while José Berríos just joined Chris Bassitt on the IL, suddenly thinning a rotation that’s long been a strength.
With how this is all lining up, it’s possible Yesavage could make his fourth career MLB start in the ALDS and a potential fifth in the ALCS.
“It’s special,” Yesavage said. “It just shows the trust the organization has in me. I’m very grateful to be here.”
Pitching prospects will break your heart. We’ve watched that happen with Alek Manoah, who went from a potential future ace in 2022 to being designated for assignment earlier this week. Before Manoah was Nate Pearson, the big flamethrower who never touched his towering potential. Over and over comes the temptation to believe in the next big thing. It’s Yesavage’s turn now, and while it’s easy to remember all of the times these stories have gone wrong, we’re already getting an incredible glimpse of what this could look like if it goes right.
The Blue Jays are betting big on Yesavage, but really, they’ve been betting on him all along. They’ve bet on him with four promotions in 2025, they bet on him in the biggest game of the season to date … and they just keep winning.