NEW YORK — Nathan Lukes hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning, Louis Varland and seven Toronto Blue Jays relievers shut down the New York Yankees – allowing only six hits – for a 5-2 victory in Game 4 of the American League Division Series to advance to their first ALCS since 2016.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven ALCS is set for Sunday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, where the Blue Jays will face the Seattle Mariners or Detroit Tigers. That series is tied at two, with the deciding game to be played on Friday in Seattle.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider scraped together his staff after using eight pitchers in the 9-6 Game 3 loss, telling his group to be flexible and ready at a moment’s notice. In Game 4, none of the eight Toronto hurlers threw more than 27 pitches, and the Yankees hitters could do nothing to break through, essentially putting on a masterclass on how to operate a bullpen game.
Varland, the Game 3 loser after giving up home runs to Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm, threw 1 ⅓ innings, allowing one hit and striking out two on 20 pitches.
Once again, the Blue Jays started quickly and scored first as they had in the previous three games, and it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doing the honors, with a single, his ninth RBI in the series, that scored George Springer, who doubled to lead off the game.
The Yankees were again in comeback mode and tied up the score in the third when Ryan McMahon hit his first career postseason home run, a solo shot to right.
Ultimately, the go-ahead run came in the fifth off of Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who, in his last start, went eight innings, allowing no runs while striking out 12 against the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the wild-card series.
It was the Blue Jays who repeatedly put the ball in play and extended their lead when Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez singled to start the inning, with George Springer scoring Clement on a sacrifice fly. Schlittler, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander, allowed two runs on eight hits in 6 ⅓ innings.
Toronto got insurance runs in the seventh when Ernie Clement singled to right, his ninth hit of the series. Andrés Giménez then reached on a fielder’s choice thanks to an error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm, allowing Clement to advance to third. Schlittler was relieved by Devin Williams, and he gave up the two-run scoring single to Lukes to extend the lead.
Pinch-hitter Myles Straw sent thousands of fans to the Yankee Stadium exits with an RBI single in the eighth. The Yankees’ last scoring threat, loading the bases with two out in the eighth, went nowhere after Austin Wells flied out.
The Yankees were attempting to dig out of a 2-0 ALDS hole – something they accomplished in 2017 – but now face an offseason of questions, again falling short of a championship, despite having the third-highest opening day payroll in the majors.
— Scooby Axson, USA TODAY Sports
Here’s how Wednesday’s game unfolded:
Myles Straw brings in another Toronto run
Myles Straw hit a one-out RBI single in the top of the eighth against Camilo Doval to increase Toronto’s lead to 5-1. David Bednar come in to pitch and got Andres Gimenez and George Springer to strand runners on first and third.
Nathan Lukes delivers insurance for Blue Jays
Jazz Chisholm couldn’t handle a hotshot that may have been an inning-ending double play, opening the door for the Blue Jays to tack on in the seventh. Devin Williams relieved starter Cam Schlittler and struck out George Springer, but Nathan Lukes delivered a two-run single with two outs to make it 4-1 Blue Jays.
Blue Jays lead 2-1 through six
Eric Lauer intentionally walked Aaron Judge with one out and nobody on base, then got Cody Bellinger to line out to left for the second out. Yariel Rodriguez came on for Lauer and walked Giancarlo Stanton but got Jazz Chisholm to ground out and end the inning with a runner in scoring position.
Blue Jays go in front on George Springer sac fly
Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez started the top of the fifth with singles against Cam Schlitter, Clement advancing to third on the latter with nobody out. George Springer ripped a sacrifice fly to center field that brought in the go-ahead run but Schlittler limited the damage by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with two outs.
Cam Schlittler works out of jam
Addison Barger hit a leadoff double in the top of the fourth against Cam Schlittler, but the rookie right-hander got Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho to fly out before whiffing Anthony Santander to the threat with a man on third.
Ryan McMahon home run ties it up
July acquisition Ryan McMahon hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third off lefty Mason Fluharty, tying the game 1-1. McMahon had three hits – all singles – in 12 at-bats in the 2025 postseason entering Game 3.
No perfect game today
Today is the anniversary of Don Larsen pitching the only perfect game in a World Series in 1956 as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0. There will be no such game in Game 4 of the ALDS, as both starters gave up hits in the first inning. Toronto’s three hits led to them taking an early 1-0 lead, while New York wasted Aaron Judge’s one-out hit, his 12th of the postseason.
Toronto starts fast again
The Blue Jays are swinging early, and George Springer got the party started with a leadoff double to left on the game’s second pitch off Yankees rookie starter Cam Schlittler, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his ninth run of the ALDS with a single. Further damage was avoided when Cody Bellinger made a spectacular sliding play for the third out, stranding two batters on base.
What time is the Yankees vs Blue Jays game today?
First pitch in Game 4 is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. ET.
Yankees lineup today
Trent Grisham (L) CF
Aaron Judge (R) RF
Cody Bellinger (L) LF
Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 2B
Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
Austin Wells (L) C
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
Ryan McMahon (L) 3B
Blue Jays lineup today
George Springer (R) DH
Nathan Lukes (L) LF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
Addison Barger (L) 3B
Alejandro Kirk (R) C
Daulton Varsho (L) CF
Anthony Santander (S) RF
Ernie Clement (R) 2B
Andrés Giménez (L) SS
John Schneider’s message to pitchers for bullpen game
“Be flexible, be ready. Again, we’ve done this. A lot of teams have done this. There’s no set script. I think everyone kind of understands where they fit within their lineup, and things can change in a hurry.
‘I think (the pitching and bullpen coaches) do a really good job of communicating that with them, and I think they’ve done it enough to where they’re going to be prepared. You never know how the game’s going to start. So you can have all the best laid out plans and it changes.
‘So I think they have to be flexible and just be ready to go when the phone rings.”
Yankees vs Blue Jays prediction, odds
Aaron Boone on Yankees’ starting pitchers
‘Our rotation has been huge for us this year and especially as we really started to play well in the final six, eight weeks of the season. It started with a lot with our starting pitching, being able to give us just — whether it’s a high end max six or seven inning or whether it was a five inning. Just our starting pitching was giving us a real chance to win ball games every day.
‘That’s the nature of the postseason sometimes. It’s not going to be perfect. The other guys are really good. The other teams are really good. And the Blue Jays have done a good job against our starters here these first three games of the series.’
Bo Bichette injury update from John Schneider
‘The last three days have been pretty positive for him. He hit in our little sim game in Toronto against Max (Scherzer) and Chris (Bassitt). Running today for the first time. We’ll take it a day at a time and just listen to how he’s feeling.
‘In talking to him when he got here yesterday, I think he’s probably turned the corner a little bit in terms of making some steady progress. It wasn’t just kind of hitting in the cage, it was facing some live pitching and knowing that he was going to be running today for the first time.
‘So I think he’s making some strides, and we’ll continue to take it a day at a time.’