Whether in the regular season or the playoffs, it didn't go well for the New York Yankees against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Perhaps that's because the Blue Jays seemed to have a secret weapon. Sources told Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith that Ontario's representatives had a hidden advantage against the Bombardiers in this fall's American League Division Series.
According to sources, the Blue Jays picked up on at least one on-field tell from the Yankees in the ALDS—an observation that helped Blue Jays hitters. More context @sportsnet https://t.co/7RRNRYX8NQ
– Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) December 11, 2025
The Blue Jays noticed at least one signal on the field from the Yankees during the American League Division Series, an observation that helped the Toronto hitters win the series in four games.
Nicholson-Smith also added that the information is so secret that sources couldn't reveal further details without compromising the team.
This may concern young pitcher Cam Schlittler, who after a sensational start against the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, had allowed four runs in six and a third innings of work against Toronto in the following series. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon also had their share of troubles.
As long as it's not done using electronic tools (we salute the Houston Astros, by the way), passing on information about your opponent to your teammates is by no means illegal in MLB. In fact, the Yankees had noticed Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer announcing his pitches during a series in early September.
While there's no guarantee that the on-field signal came from the New York team's pitchers, the good news for Yankees fans is that it may not be back in 2026. Let's hope for their sake that they'll be more discreet next year.
This content was created with the help of AI.