Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage (39) reacts after a strikeout in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
For as remarkable as Cam Schlittler’s Wild Card-clinching performance was for the Yankees, Trey Yesavage’s postseason debut against them on Sunday evening was even better.
The Bronx Bombers were befuddled by the Toronto Blue Jays’ 22-year-old rookie, who had just three pro starts under his belt before Game 2 of the ALDS at Rogers Center. Within two hours, he became a household name, as Toronto flew away with a X-X victory.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s grand slam headlined a six-run fourth inning for the Blue Jays, while Daulton Varsho went 4-for-4 with two home runs, two doubles, and four RBI. Ernie Clement drove in three of his own.
For the second time in five days, the Yankees’ season teeters on the brink. After a 10-1 drubbing in Game 1 in Toronto, one more loss marks the end of the road for Aaron Boone’s men, who return to the Bronx for Game 3 on Tuesday night.
Yesavage, the Blue Jays’ top overall prospect, struck out 11 batters over 5.1 shutout, hitless innings. It included a span of six consecutive punchouts between the third and fourth innings, giving him 10 on the day and Toronto’s postseason single-game strikeout record before even toeing the rubber for the fifth.
Blue Jays bats, meanwhile, made quick work of Yankees ace Max Fried, who got a hard-luck no-decision against the Red Sox and their ace, Garrett Crochet, in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. He was not nearly as competitive on Sunday.
The southpaw lasted just three innings plus two batters, allowing seven runs on eight hits with one strikeout and a pair of walks.
As they did on Saturday night, the Blue Jays got the party started instantaneously when Clement went down and pulled a first-pitch changeup over the left-field wall for a quick 2-0 lead.
Alejandro Kirk’s RBI groundout in the third made it a 3-0 game with two outs, but Toronto squeaked out two more runs thanks to Varsho’s double and Clement’s third RBI of the day, a single left.
Fried allowed a lead-off single to Andres Gimenez before walking Myles Straw, which spelled the end of his day. Boone went to Will Warren, but it only got worse. George Springer walked, and two batters later, Guerrero launched a 2-1 fastball 415 feet for a back-breaking grand slam to make it 9-0.
Two batters later, it was 11-0, as Varsho took Warren 407 feet out to right-center field.
By the time the Yankees recorded their first hit of the night, it was already 12-0. Aaron Judge beat out an infield single just two batters after Yesavage was removed from the game. Cody Bellinger went deep to put New York on the board.
Following George Springer’s home run to make it 13-2, the Yankees reeled off five unanswered runs, but only to make the scoreline appear more respectable than it actually was.
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