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NY Yankees (0-1) at Toronto (1-0)
- When: Oct 5 2025, 4:08 PM
- Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto
- Where to watch: Fox Sports 1
NY Yankees vs Toronto MLB Playoff Preview & Pick
Moneyline: NY Yankees -154
Spread: NY Yankees -1.5 (+105)
Total: 8.5
Toronto Blue Jays: Riding High, Rolling Dice
You’d think a team with Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt in the chamber might lean on their big guns in the postseason. Not the Blue Jays. Instead, they’re sending out 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, yes, a rookie with three career starts to the mound in Game 2 after completely obliterating the Yankees 10-1 in the opener.
Yesavage might sound like a gamble, but the kid’s been cooking. After debuting in mid-September, he’s posted a 3.21 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 14 innings. Toronto managed his innings all season like a prized racehorse, and now they’re unleashing him in a playoff spotlight brighter than a Drake concert in the 6ix.
Saturday’s Game 1 win snapped a brutal seven-game postseason losing skid, dating back to 2016. Now 7-1 at home this year vs. the Yankees (9-5 overall), the Jays are suddenly looking like a team with more than just “participation trophy” aspirations.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk went deep early in Game 1, both belting their first career playoff homers. Guerrero went 3-for-4 with a sac fly, finally breaking out after years of underwhelming October numbers. The Jays are healthy, confident, and apparently fearless, especially with a rookie taking the hill in a pivotal game.
New York Yankees: Veteran Ace, Big Pressure
Max Fried is getting the call for Game 2, and while his playoff ERA sits at a shiny 0.00 through 6 1/3 innings this postseason, Toronto hasn’t been kind to him. In two starts at Rogers Centre this year, Fried gave up eight earned runs in just over 11 innings and the Jays won both.
Still, Fried’s track record is solid overall: 4-1, 2.70 ERA in seven career starts vs. Toronto. He knows this lineup won’t hand over easy outs, and after watching Guerrero Jr. laser balls around the yard Saturday, he’s got every reason to tighten the screws.
Aaron Judge had two hits in Game 1 but whiffed with the bases loaded in the sixth on a nasty splitter from Kevin Gausman. That moment symbolized the Yankees’ day: chances were there, execution was not. Judge led MLB in AVG, OBP, and SLG this year, but the Yanks need more than a stat sheet hero. They need clutch.
The Yankees bullpen? Well… it turned a tight 2-1 game into a full-blown laugher with two four-run innings surrendered late. If that pen doesn’t tighten up, they’ll be chasing this series back in the Bronx down 0-2.
Final Betting Prediction
This one feels tighter than Game 1’s blowout, but Fried’s veteran poise gives New York the edge in a must-win spot. Yesavage will flash potential, but the Yankees will scrape together enough offense to even the series before heading home.
Yankees vs Blue Jays: October ball just got spicy.
Score Prediction: : Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3
Pick: NY Yankees -1.5 (+105)
Total: Under 8.5 (-115)
- MLB Playoff Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
- Get real-time live scores & latest betting odds here!
