The final regular season matchup between the Yankees and Blue Jays in 2025 threatened to be another episode of the horrors that matchup has produced for the New York side. But the second shoe didn’t drop today. Max Fried overcame some early turbulence to pitch seven strong innings against the division rivals, and a first-inning home run from Ben Rice gave him margin for error. Cody Bellinger’s go-ahead RBI double in the third proved the difference in a gritty win at the Stadium.
I really like the
look of Ben Rice in the cleanup spot. The Yankees set the table for him quickly in the first with a walk and a single, and Rice entered a long battle with Max Scherzer. At one point he yanked a deep ball foul down the right field line, but stayed in the saddle. On the 10th pitch of the at bat, he drove a fastball into the short porch for a crooked number in the opening frame.
As Chris Kirschner pointed out, Scherzer was tipping his changeup, which allowed Aaron Judge to signal to him from second base. That gave Rice a major leg up in the at-bat, and it ended with his 23rd home run of 2025 and a 3-0 Yankee lead.
I didn’t like the look of the Yankees’ ace early on. The Jays immediately got two men in scoring position against Fried thanks to a double from Ernie Clement which tested Aaron Judge’s arm in right field. His throw was strong and accurate, but Clement got in safely. An RBI single from old friend Isiah Kiner-Falefa got Toronto on the board, then Judge declined to test his arm a second time in the inning when Nathan Lukes hit a long fly his way. The sac fly made it a one-run game lickety-split.
One inning later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulverized a Fried sweeper down the left field line with two men aboard—one thanks to an Anthony Volpe throwing error—and tie the game on an RBI double. Things could have easily gone pear-shaped in that inning, as the double set up two in scoring position with nobody out. Thankfully, Fried buckled down and managed to strand them by retiring the next three batters in order. A nifty catch from Volpe allowed him to redeem himself somewhat in the process.
That fortitude from Fried proved fruitful as the Yankees jumped back on top in the home third. Judge walked, then picked the perfect time to steal second. Cody Bellinger traded places with him, slugging a ball to the right field wall for an RBI double. That was enough to warm up the Toronto bullpen behind Scherzer, as the Bombers entered the fourth leading 4-3.
Having notched the key stolen base which helped bring the go-ahead run home, Judge kept his wheels turning in the fourth. An inexplicable throwing error from Austin Wells on a swinging bunt had given Toronto a free runner in scoring position. With two out, George Springer hit a sinking line drive to right. Judge charged the ball…
…and made a diving catch to preserve the Yankee lead.
Fried’s escape in the third inning seemed to spark Fried out of his early struggles, as he pitched economically through the fifth and sixth to notch his fourth straight quality start. He continued into the following frame, setting down the eighth and ninth hitters before rolling over Springer to complete seven innings—three runs, six hits, one walk, four strikeouts.
This is what we saw from Max early in the year. Even when he didn’t have his best stuff, he found a way to go deep into a game and put the Yankees in position to win. That’s exactly what he did here, overcoming some issues in the second and third to notch 21 outs. I dare say that performance did a fellow left-handed Yankee ace proud.
The Bombers failed to add on to their lead, so they appreciated Devin Williams stranding two Jays in the eighth inning. A chance to add insurance in the eighth with Judge on third fell through, so David Bednar entered with no room for mishaps. He got the first out on one pitch, popping out pinch-hitter Daulton Varsho. Nathan Lukes then slashed an opposite field single to get a baserunner aboard, and up came the speedy Myles Straw. Facing Springer appeared inevitable…until the runner took off. With Lukes attempting to steal, Wells unleashed a perfect throw and nailed the Jays’ left fielder for the second out.
The Renegade took it from there, inducing a soft grounder to third from Straw to seal the win.
With the victory, the Yankees moved back to a two-game deficit behind the Jays in the AL East. They finish the season series 4-8 against them—not good at all since they hold a tiebreaker, but at least they remain within striking distance. Even if you consider this a true three-game deficit (which is entirely fair), that’s far from insurmountable over three weeks. After an offday, another tough customer comes to the Bronx on Tuesday: the AL Central-leading Tigers. They will be unable to throw defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal though, as he started on Saturday. Will Warren is expected to face Casey Mize in the series opener with first pitch set for 7:05pm ET on YES.
