Blue Jays' sweep of Yankees vaults Toronto to top of AL East

New York Times

15 hours ago

TORONTO — When the New York Yankees came to Toronto in late June last year, the Blue Jays sat six games under .500 and 14 out of first place in the American League East. The split series that followed barely altered the Blue Jays' course — a blip in Toronto's rapidly sinking season.
A year later, the same midsummer four-game series sat on the Blue Jays' schedule. The same pinstripe jerseys descended on Toronto's open dome. This year, however, there was no sinking season or lost hope. This year, four games against the Yankees truly mattered.
With an 8-5 win Thursday and series sweep, the 49-38 Blue Jays vaulted into sole possession of first place in the AL East. Leading a division in July counts for nothing. But if the Blue Jays hope to sit up top at the end of the year, it's series like this that will have propelled them.
Four Games 4️⃣Four WWWWins 🧹🧹🧹🧹Four Water Dumps 🤣 pic.twitter.com/lHePUqIt5B
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 4, 2025
'We're just on a heater right now,' Nathan Lukes said. 'When things are going this way, we feel like nothing can really tear us down.'
At the end of a season, it's easy to pick out the turning points and pivotal series. But sussing out significance when you're slogging through a 162-game campaign isn't always as simple. The power of these four games against the Yankees, Chris Bassitt said, was clear before the first pitch was thrown.
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'It's the top two teams in the division facing each other,' Bassitt said. 'I mean, obviously we knew that going in.'
If things turned south for Toronto this week, there were excuses to fall back on. Bo Bichette's ailing knee held him out of each night's starting lineup. Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho aren't back from injury yet, either. A series split could've been sold as a victory, keeping pace with the East's top team.
Instead, the Blue Jays turned to surprise saviors, as they have all season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit just .176 in the series, but Toronto averaged nine runs per game. Lukes, Andrés Gimenez and Ernie Clement each had three hits from the leadoff spot, in Bichette's absence. A year after George Springer seemed lost in decline, the veteran outfielder drove in 11 runs in four games.
GEORGE SPRINGER.
TWO HOMERS.
PLAYOFF ATMOSPHERE. pic.twitter.com/S4doqfMZUU
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 4, 2025
With a depleted Toronto bullpen nursing a one-run lead in the series finale, manager John Schneider turned to lefty Justin Bruihl in the eighth inning. The southpaw, who posted a 9.53 ERA in MLB last season, struck out two-time All-Star Cody Bellinger to set up the Blue Jays' first four-game home sweep of the Yankees.
'It shows us who we are as a team,' Springer said. 'You know, even with guys down, we can go out and compete with one of the best in the game.'
Those are the unexpected heroes the 2024 Blue Jays lacked. There was no Addison Barger breakout or Eric Lauer emergence early last year. In 2025, the stories have come. They helped propel Toronto into division contention and lifted the Jays to a four-game sweep of the Yankees, toppling New York from the East's top spot.
Now, it's Toronto that sits at the top of the division. For at least a day, the Jays are the team to topple. Toronto hasn't led the AL East this late in a season since 2016. Last year's Blue Jays didn't taste first place after Opening Day. The challenge, as the Yankees can attest, is staying there.
'It's now on to the next day,' Bassitt said. 'Keep playing the same way we've been playing.'
(Photo of George Springer: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)