Baseball

Blue Jays: No word on who will start game #2 | The Bo Bichette case
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Blue Jays: No word on who will start game #2 | The Bo Bichette case
Credit: MLB

It's here: the Blue Jays are approaching their first playoff game.

Tomorrow and Sunday, at 4:08 p.m., the Blue Jays will host the Yankees at Toronto's Rogers Centre. And there are several things to watch out for in connection with the Toronto club, which had success in Toronto against the Bombers.

1. Unsurprisingly, Kevin Gausman will be pitching tomorrow. Despite his more difficult end to the season, he's clearly the club's best pitcher in 2025, which means he deserves the start.

With the five-day break, the club can shape its rotation as it sees fit.

2. We still don't know who will pitch game #2: John Schneider wouldn't confirm anything. But we do know that, logically, it should be between Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage.

To go any other way would be a surprise.

Normally, Bieber would be the choice. But going with Yesavage at home, so with home advantage, might make sense to accentuate the surprise effect against him.

But if the club doesn't go with Bieber and loses match #2, there could be tears in town. It's a risk, you know.

3. We still don't know if Chris Bassitt will be able to pitch in the division series, but we do know that Jose Berrios won't be available. He hasn't started pitching yet. He's still on the injured list.

If Bassitt can pitch, he could be the #4 starter. But if not?

Eric Lauer, on a day when the bullpen would be highlighted, could be an option if the series goes that far. But you also have to consider Max Scherzer, who had a very bad end to the season.

Yesterday, in a simulated game, he pitched… five innings. That's a lot and leads me to believe that the club doesn't want to count on him. However, others think that the club sees him as a fourth starter, if need be, and that his simulated game yesterday served to keep him in the rhythm of a starter.

Whether or not Max Scherzer makes the 26-man roster for the division series will also depend on this: will the Blue Jays go with 13 pitchers and 13 hitters, or with 14 hitters and only 12 pitchers?

Both scenarios are on the table right now.

4. The question on everyone's mind is whether Bo Bichette will be able to play in the division series or not – although we suspect the answer is no. John Schneider is taking it day by day.

Nothing is officially decided, then.

That said, since John Schneider said Bichette would have to be able to contribute regularly (not just Kirk Gibson-style) to play and the shortstop hasn't started running again… we suspect his presence is pretty unlikely.

Remember that the 26-player roster is drawn up at the start of each series. And even if a substitution is possible in the middle of a series (but it's complex, since it involves ending the current series AND the next series of a teammate), it's not the ideal scenario.

5. The Blue Jays are going to need Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to win. The latter knows he has to play up to his talent and contract, which hasn't always been the case in the playoffs.

But Vladdy (like his manager) wants to represent Canada and its fans. He wants to beat the Yankees to advance to the next round.

6. The Yankees also have a star who knows his playoff reputation isn't the best: Aaron Judge. And Judge has played the good captain by praising the Queen City outfit.

He knows the Blue Jays will put the ball in play.

He knows full well that the Blue Jays don't often get retired on strikes and that this will test the Yankees' defense. And since the Yankees don't have the best defensive team, it's the right thing to do in Toronto.

In this first-ever playoff meeting between the two teams, the stakes are high. And since Judge knows he may not get the chance to make a difference with his stick, he wants to see his club be sharp defensively. #ButOnBallsIntentional

7. On the other side, the Blue Jays tend to give away home runs a lot. And the Bronx Bombers are aptly named, as they tend to hit a lot of long balls.

This will be a big aspect to keep an eye on, as it could make the difference in the series.

8. Yesterday, the Red Sox outfielders could hardly hear themselves talk in the field, so much was the noise in the stands at Yankee Stadium. Blue Jays fans can do the same in Toronto – especially if the roof is closed.

Will it be an issue in favor of the Blue Jays, who haven't won a playoff game since 2016? #FieldAdvantage

This content was created with the help of AI.

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