The savages in the box were no match for rookie Trey Yesavage, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blasted the first grand slam in Toronto history and the Blue Jays hammered the Yankees, 13-7, Sunday in Game 2 of their American League Division Series. 

The Blue Jays, who bullied Yankee starter Max Fried, are in full control of the series and can eliminate the Yankees when the best-of-five affair resumes Tuesday for Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. 

Toronto has outscored the Yankees, who had the best offense in baseball this season, 23-8, so far in the series, though the Yanks made a late charge to make the final deficit Sunday a tad more tidy. Perhaps that gives them some oomph heading into Game 3.

Here are the main takeaways…

— It was a nightmare outing for Fried, who has been the Yankee ace all season. He had been so good in starts following a Yankee loss – 11-1, 1.82 ERA in 16 such starts – but he was no stopper on Sunday. Fried was charged with seven runs over three-plus innings while giving up eight hits, walking two and striking out one.

He allowed a two-run homer to the Jays’ Ernie Clement. It was a far cry from Fried’s first outing of the postseason – 6.1 scoreless frames against the Red Sox in last week’s playoff opener. Should the Yankees rally to force a Game 5, Fried would get another chance in this series – with two off-days between now and then, Fried could start on regular rest. You know, if. 

— Guerrero had struggled in his first six games of postseason play in his career, but the Toronto star has changed that narrative in a hurry. He’s on fire in this series. After homering and going 3-for-4 in the opening game, he smashed the first grand slam in Jays' postseason history Sunday. His blast, measured at 111 mph off the bat, traveled 415 feet to left field and upped the Jays’ absurd lead to 9-0. Guerrero victimized Will Warren on the blast, crushing a 95.8-mph fastball. 

Daulton Varsho had a huge day for the Blue Jays, too. He doubled twice off Fried and homered twice off Warren. He might have been on cycle watch early in the game save for a scorer’s call on his first double. He ripped the ball down the right-field line, a sure extra-base hit, and the ball caromed off the side wall and Aaron Judge missed it. Varsho got to third because of that and he was credited with a double, advancing to third only because of what was scored an error on Judge. Varsho finished 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored.

— Yesavage, who turned 22 in July, is a great story. He was drafted in 2024 out of East Carolina and began this season in Single-A before ascending through four different levels of the Toronto system to reach the majors in September. He was just the third pitcher ever to make a postseason start within his first four MLB appearances, including the playoffs. Shane Baz (2021) and Matt Moore (2011), both of the Rays, are the others. 

Jays manager John Schneider said earlier in the series that he decided to have Yesavage pitch at home instead of Shane Bieber. Bieber, a veteran, would be more likely to handle a hostile environment at Yankee Stadium, so he’ll start Game 3 there on Tuesday. 

— The Yankees were perhaps at an extreme disadvantage in that they had not seen Yesavage before and he has a distinctive arm angle with a high release point over the top. He was 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in three September starts for the Jays and his plunging splitter is a marvel. It certainly was on Sunday when he used it to great effect – eight of his strikeouts were finished by a diving split. He got 18 swings-and-misses, according to Statcast, 11 of them on splitters. 

— The Rogers Centre has been the Horror Centre for the Yankees this year. They are 1-8 at the Blue Jays’ nest and played some of their sloppiest baseball of the season there over the summer. But it wasn’t as humiliating as this. And the Yankees were the second-best road team in the majors this season, a fact that was overwhelmed by the Blue Jays being the AL’s top home team, apparently. 

— The Yankees trailed, 12-0, entering the sixth inning before they finally got their first hit and got on the scoreboard. Judge broke through with an infield single and then Cody Bellinger smacked a two-run homer. Both came off reliever Justin Bruihl. It was the 10th postseason home run of Bellinger’s career. 

— The Yankees scored five times in the seventh inning to creep closer. With the bases loaded and one out, Judge blooped an RBI single to center. Bellinger hit a ball down the left-field line that could have been big trouble, but Myles Straw made a terrific sliding catch near the side wall. Still, the Yanks got a run on what was a sac fly. Then Ben Rice whacked an RBI double and Giancarlo Stanton, who had been 2-for-18 in the series, hit a two-run single to left, drawing the Yankees within 13-7. 

George Springer homered for the Jays in the fifth inning, his 20th career postseason homer. That ties him with Derek Jeter for fifth all-time. 

— Warren allowed six runs, including four home runs, on seven hits over 4.2 innings of relief. At the very least, he provided some bulk innings to give the Yankee bullpen some rest. Luke Weaver, who had not retired any of the six batters he’d faced so far in the postseason, got the final out of the eighth inning, inducing a flyout to left by Varsho. 

— Judge (2-for-3) was on base four times for the Yanks, including two walks. He is batting .444 this postseason. 

Game MVP: Trey Yesavage

Yesavage, a righty who threw 5.1 scoreless innings and allowed no hits. He had 11 strikeouts – a Toronto record for a postseason game – and walked only one. Not bad for a guy who started the season in Single-A.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees and Blue Jays head to New York for Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday at 8:08 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (18-9, 3.09 ERA) will face Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA) in the elimination game.



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