The Yankees are in trouble. Deep trouble. Let’s be real here. When you’re down 0-2 in a playoff series and heading home, you’re not walking into a comfort zone—you’re walking into a pressure cooker.
And right now, the Blue Jays are one win shy of their first American League Championship Series appearance in nearly a decade, while the Yankees have their backs against the wall again, already facing another win-or-go-home situation.
The scoreboard tells the brutal truth: Toronto has demolished New York 23-8 across the first two games. That’s not a series. That’s a statement.
Here’s what went down, what’s next, and why Game 3 might be the most important night of the Yankees’ season.
How Did We Get Here?
Game 1: The Blue Jays set the tone early in Toronto. They came out swinging and never looked back, taking a commanding 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: This one hurt. Rookie Trey Yesavage set a Blue Jays postseason record by striking out 11 in 5 1/3 no-hit innings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the first postseason grand slam in team history and Toronto beat the New York Yankees 13-7.
Read that again. A rookie pitcher made the highest-scoring offense in baseball look completely lost. Vlad Jr. went full superhero mode. And the final score? 13-7. That’s not playoff baseball—that’s a demolition.
The Yankees’ Nightmare Statistics
History isn’t on New York’s side. In postseason history, all teams taking a 2-0 lead in any best-of-five series have gone on to win that series 80 of 90 times (88.9%)
Translation? The Yankees need a miracle. Or three of them.
But here’s the thing about the Bronx Bombers—they’ve been here before. Last week, New York lost Game 1 of its AL Wild Card Series vs. Boston before winning both Games 2 and 3 to advance. So yeah, they know how to fight back.
The question is: Can they do it again?
Who’s Hot and Who’s Not
Blue Jays on Fire: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on fire. He’s now 6-for-9 with two home runs and six RBIs in this young series. Daulton Varsho launched two homers and two doubles in Game 2. This lineup is peaking at the exact right moment.
Yankees Struggling: Aaron Judge is hitting .444 this postseason, but he only has one extra-base hit. Giancarlo Stanton? He’s 3-for-20 with five strikeouts. The big bats need to wake up, and they need to wake up NOW.
Here’s everything you need to know about Game 3.
When and Where to Watch
Game 3: Tuesday, October 8
- Time: 8:08 PM ET
- Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
- TV: FS1 (United States)
- Canadian Broadcast: Sportsnet and Sportsnet+
- Radio (Canada): Sportsnet 590 The FAN
- Streaming: MLB.TV (with authentication), Fox Sports app
The Pitching Matchup
Blue Jays: Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA) Toronto is handing the ball to their big trade deadline acquisition. The former AL Cy Young Award winner has bounced back from Tommy John surgery well, and this is his moment to prove he’s still elite. He’s pitched at Yankee Stadium before in the playoffs, so the stage won’t be too big.
Yankees: Carlos Rodón (18-9, 2.61 ERA) New York’s season rests on his left arm. Rodón has worked hard this season to refine the mental part of his game, which he says helps him maintain his composure in stressful situations. There’s no bigger stress test than tonight.
What the Yankees Need
Manager Aaron Boone knows the deal. “Baseball is a funny game. I know we’ll show up and be ready to go expecting to win Tuesday night. Obviously, it feels like the world’s caving in around you, you lose two games like that in their building where it doesn’t go right. But all of a sudden, you go out there and win a ballgame on Tuesday, the needle can change”.
He’s right. One win changes everything. One win brings life back to the Stadium. One win makes it a series again.
But one loss? Season over.
The Blue Jays’ Mindset
Toronto isn’t celebrating yet. George Springer put it perfectly: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s 0-0. That’s a great team. I know it. They know it. This whole locker room knows it. So it’s about getting after it on Tuesday. And 0-0, and we’re ready to go”.
That’s championship mentality right there. No cockiness. No assumptions. Just focus.
The Bottom Line
Tonight, Yankee Stadium will be electric. The crowd will be desperate. The pressure will be suffocating.
The Yankees need their stars to show up. Judge needs to do more than just get on base. Stanton needs to find his October magic. The pitching needs to keep Toronto’s red-hot bats quiet.
The Blue Jays? They just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Stay aggressive. Keep the foot on the gas. Don’t let the Yankees breathe.
One team is fighting for survival. The other is one win away from the ALCS.
The stage is set. The stakes couldn’t be higher. And baseball fans everywhere are about to witness either a historic collapse or an epic comeback.
Which side of history will we see tonight?
Tune in at 8:08 PM ET on FS1. You won’t want to miss this.
