Bichette leads way as Blue Jays drop Yanks for record 11th consecutive home win
'Winning helps. I mean it's something that we all had a goal of, but once you start seeing the wins come across the board, it becomes easier.
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'And having a bunch teammates that are willing to do whatever it takes to win makes it easier as well. So it's been a great group.'
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The all-for-one, one-for-all chorus that is driving the narrative for these 59-41 Jays may cause cynics to roll their eyes, but with wins in 17 of their last 21 games — and now four in a row since the all-star break — there's something real about the vibes.
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Witness the reaction to Davis Schneider, two batters after Bichette in the fifth. He fought Rodon through an epic 15-pitch at-bat that eventually resulted in an out, but it certainly softened the Yankees starter. As Schneider was being celebrated in the Jays dugout, a pair of Yankees errors helped the Jays to two more runs.
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Put the ball in play 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/Om3XKi98Em
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 22, 2025
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Witness the festive atmosphere all night as fans from field level to the 500s revelled in what felt like a huge win.
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And witness the celebration as closer Jeff Hoffman recorded his 24th save on his bobblehead night, no less, as the vocal crowd erupted in approval.
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'I think some of it is personalities,' manager John Schneider said of the clubhouse mentality. 'Some of it is we've shown to be resilient. We've shown to just move on to the next thing, whether it's in game or after a game. They're pretty well-versed in just saying 'OK, what's important right now?'
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'It's nice that they're a very stable group.'
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For further insight into what's happening with his team, Schneider was asked if he was surprised that these upstart and highly entertaining Jays have a better record than the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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The manager didn't flinch before his profound response.
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'It's baseball,' Schneider said. 'Teams on paper are teams on paper. There's certain things that aren't objectively qualified, but we've always had a lot of trust in the group. It's funny how it works out. There's still 63 games (62 after Monday's win) and a lot can happen. (But) it kind of shows what guys are made of and they believe they can play with anyone and they should.
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'This is where we had hoped to be, where we are really competitive in a tough division.'
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It's also brought the Jays back to a place Bichette remembers when he first took note of the Jays back in 2015, the year before he was drafted by Canada's team.
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'I remember they were a super fun team to watch with a lot of great hitters,' Bichette said. 'They made splashes at the deadline. The atmosphere in the stadium was always super attractive.
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CBC
24 minutes ago
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How sudden cardiac arrest can be different for athletes — based on their sex
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
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CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Bichette's two-run double lifts Jays over Yankees 4-1; Toronto adds to division lead
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) and outfielder George Springer (4) celebrate runs against the New York Yankees during fifth inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Monday, July 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Thomas Skrlj TORONTO — Bo Bichette's two-run double sparked a four-run fifth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays opened a three-game series against the New York Yankees with a 4-1 win on Monday. Myles Straw hit an RBI single three batters later to drive home Bichette as Toronto (59-41) won its fourth straight. Leo Jimenez reached first on a throwing error in the next at bat, scoring Straw. The win gave the Blue Jays a four-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East. Kevin Gausman (7-7) was impressive, giving up the one run and striking out eight over seven innings of work. He allowed four hits and two walks. Relievers Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez and Jeff Hoffman preserved the win. Giancarlo Stanton's solo home run led off the fourth inning for New York (55-45). Carlos Rodon (10-7) allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits and five walks over five innings. He struck out four. Scott Effross and JT Brubaker combined for three innings of scoreless relief. TAKEAWAYS Yankees: It was a rough fifth inning for the left side of New York's infield. Third baseman Oswald Peraza's throw to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was way off-line, turning what could have been a groundout into two bases for Myles Straw. In the next at bat, shortstop Anthony Volpe pulled Goldschmidt off the bag with his throw to allow Jimenez to reach safely and give Straw enough time to cross home. Blue Jays: Toronto loaded the bases in the second and fourth innings but wasn't able to score any runners, squandering an opportunity to break the game wide open. Bichette's double brought the sold-out crowd of 41,786 to their feet and finally took advantage of a solid night at the plate. KEY MOMENT Gausman issued two balls to Jazz Chisholm Jr., in the third inning with two runners on base and the game scoreless. But the Blue Jays starter bore down, skimming the bottom of the zone with back-to-back four-seam fastballs then getting Chisholm out when the slugger bit on a splitter for a foul tip. KEY STAT Bichette entered the game hitting an impressive .394 with runners in scoring position. His two-run double brought him up to .400 with teammates on second or third base. UP NEXT Max Scherzer (1-0) gets the start as Toronto continues its three-game series against New York. The Jays have won 11 in a row at Rogers Centre. Cam Schlittler (1-0) will take the mound for the Yankees. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
