TORONTO — Survive, advance, repeat.
The Blue Jays are trying to run out the clock on their first American League East title since 2015, and with Friday’s 4-2 win over the Rays, there are only two days left on the clock.
The Yankees won, too, keeping the two rivals tied atop the American League East, but the most valuable tiebreak advantage in all of baseball belongs to Toronto. By Saturday morning, the champagne, beer and enough ice to fill a swimming pool will all be wheeled into Rogers Centre for the potential clinch. With a Blue Jays win and Yankees loss Saturday, the AL East will belong to Toronto.
Friday’s win wasn’t the dramatic, ground-shaking win we saw Thursday, powered by Daulton Varsho’s incredible grand slam, but the Blue Jays needed a “normal” win just as badly. This one looked like so many of those wins through June and July which launched the Blue Jays from a fringe contender to the top of the American League. It’s wins like these that have the Blue Jays on the doorstep of earning a bye straight past the Wild Card Series that has haunted them for years.
Nathan Lukes was Friday’s hero, another perfect piece of casting in a season where nothing has gone as anyone expected.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scuffling down the stretch and Bo Bichette on the IL, the Blue Jays are once again turning to The Other Guys. It’s a group that has served them so well all season, this organization’s depth shining through as the Blue Jays’ single biggest strength in 2025. Yes, the brilliant bounce-back season from George Springer has won this team some games singlehandedly, but most nights, it feels like manager John Schneider is drawing names out of a hat to pick the player who will make the right play at the right time. Tonight, it was Lukes’ turn again.
Lukes’ two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth was the biggest swing of his MLB career, breaking the tie just as the Yankees had gone up on the Orioles. The 31-year-old has played just 184 MLB games over three seasons, often filling the gaps between starters, but he’s always felt like a player capable of something more. He is, by almost every definition, a rock-solid, MLB-caliber player. With 12 home runs in 2025, though, and some timely plays on both sides of the ball, Lukes is yet another pleasant surprise in a season overflowing with them.
Saturday’s game against the Rays has layers to it. Top prospect Trey Yesavage, just 22 years old, will make his third career MLB start. In his second, the Blue Jays clinched their postseason spot, so perhaps there’s some magic to the kid. It’s also an opportunity to take care of business one day early, though, which is absolutely crucial.
If this AL East race extends into Sunday, which is still very possible — likely, even — then Kevin Gausman would be in line to pitch Game 162. Yes, that’s exactly who the Blue Jays want pitching the biggest game of the season, but if the Blue Jays were to pitch Gausman on the final day of the season, lose the division and end up in the Wild Card Series, they’d be stuck without their ace. The sooner the Blue Jays can wrap this up, the better.
They’ve survived another day, though, and if they can survive two more, the AL East is theirs.
