Watch free: Vlad Jr., Blue Jays host AL East-leading Yanks

May 2nd, 2022

The Yankees and the Blue Jays -- division rivals who are arguably the two best teams in the American League, and who are tied for the Major League lead in home runs -- will face off tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET in Toronto. And you can catch all of the action with MLB.TV’s Free Game of the Day.

The Yankees (16-6) own the best record in baseball and are currently riding a nine-game winning streak. Thanks to an offense that ranks third in the big leagues in OPS and a pitching staff that is second in ERA, the Yanks have compiled a +41 run differential this season.

Sluggers Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo have been absolutely scorching at the plate of late and are the main reasons why New York has averaged 6.8 runs per game during their win streak. Judge went deep twice Sunday and has seven homers with a 1.430 OPS in his past nine games. Rizzo, who leads MLB with nine home runs, is slashing .326/.383/.813 with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBIs over his past 11 games.

While the Yankees have gone deep 20 times since the start of their winning streak, no team depends on the home run like the Blue Jays, who have scored a whopping 53.3 percent of their runs via the long ball. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer now share the team lead with six homers, as Springer has gone deep four times in his past nine games.

And you might remember that when these teams met last month in the Bronx, Guerrero Jr. put on an unforgettable display of power.

But Toronto (15-8) doesn’t always have to outslug its opponents to victory; Blue Jays pitchers have limited their opponents to just 3.7 runs per game since April 20, a stretch in which Toronto has gone 9-3.

The Yankees’ Jordan Montgomery (0-1, 2.70) and the Blue Jays’ Ross Stripling (0-0, 3.60) will try to navigate these lineups the best they can as the probable starters. First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.