40 h. ago Here's why the Toronto Blue Jays pulled Trey Yesavage in historic Yankees beatdown

Even in perhaps the best two-game stretch of his entire run as Toronto Blue Jays manager, John Schneider knows that he's not always going to be the most popular guy in town.On Sunday, Schneider's Blue Jays pulled off a game anyone in attendance will probably never forget.While Toronto scored 13 runs on the day to take a 2-0 series lead over the New York Yankees, the biggest star of the game was starting pitcher Trey Yesavage, who put on one of the best performances anyone's ever had wearing a Jays uniform.In just 5.1 innings of work (and only his fourth-ever MLB start), the 22-year-old rookie made Jays postseason history with a franchise-record 11 strikeouts on the day, giving up no hits and just one walk.But he actually could've probably had a better performance, had he not been pulled after just 78 pitches. More than half-way to what would've been the first no-hitter in Blue Jays playoff history, Schneider decided he'd rather play the percentages and let Ye...

Other

60 h. ago New York Yankees manager claps back at Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez

It's been nearly a month since Buck Martinez criticized the New York Yankees.However, his comments haven't been forgotten.When the Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros on Sept. 9, the story wasn't about the final result (a 4-3 Toronto win). What most remember from that game were Martinez's comments in the seventh inning when he found out that the Detroit Tigers were pounding the Yankees."You know, the Yankees, they're not a good team. I don't care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches, they make a lot of mistakes in the field, they don't run the bases very well. If they don't hit home runs, they don't have a chance to win."Well, turns out that neither the fans nor Yankees manager Aaron Boone have forgotten his comments.“Contrary to some thoughts up here, we’re a really good team," Boone told reporters on Friday.Just in case it wasn't clear who Boone was talking about, he later clarified."I know...

Culture

4 d. ago Blue Jays aren’t expecting a Kirk Gibson moment from injured Bo Bichette

Blue Jays manager John Schneider has long been an avid fan of the game and well-versed in some of Major League Baseball’s biggest post-season moments. With that in mind, his assessment of injured shortstop Bo Bichette’s chances of returning to action in the American League division series that begins on Saturday, was probably revealing. “I […]

Other

8 d. ago What Blue Jays manager told his players before Toronto clubhouse champagne party

The Toronto Blue Jays made sure to properly celebrate after clinching the AL East Division on Sunday afternoon.It marked the second time the Blue Jays have had a champagne-filled clubhouse celebration this season, with the other coming just over a week ago after they had first secured a playoff berth.Sunday's 13-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays helped the Blue Jays clinch their first division title since 2015. They rightfully celebrated the big accomplishment, but first came a fantastic speech from manager John Schneider."For everyone in here, congratulations. That's a 20-win turnaround from last year to this year, and it's because of every single one of you guys here," Schneider said. "You guys are unbelievable, you're selfless, I say it all the time. And I said, 'the sky's not f*cking falling,' and guess what? It f*cking didn't."You guys kept going about it; you did it the right way. Some people say we did it the hard way, but we di...

Culture

1 week ago Amid the rough times, Blue Jays manager John Schneider is trying to keep his chin up

The Blue Jays will wake up Thursday morning knowing they still find themselves atop the AL East, courtesy of the tiebreaker advantage over the New York Yankees. That’s the optimistic approach the club must embrace. The reality speaks to a team that has found the absolute wrong time for its offence to disappear, while its […]

Other

2 w. ago Blue Jays finally clinch playoff spot and now the real work begins

Hard to know what would have tasted better for Blue Jays manager John Schneider and his relieved and now officially playoff-bound team. Was it the traditional champagne celebration after a hard-fought 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals and what turned out to be a delayed celebration to secure at least an American League wildcard […]

Sport

2 w. ago Blue Jays to shift pitcher Jose Berrios to bullpen moving forward

KANSAS CITY — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios is moving to the bullpen, manager John Schneider told reporters following Friday’s 20-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. “I think he’s kind of an option if we need him on days like today and will be going forward,” Schneider said. “He can still start for […]

Other

3 w. ago Blue Jays’ starting playoff rotation worth monitoring as season’s end nears

In the aftermath of Kevin Gausman’s masterpiece against the visiting Houston Astros when the veteran right-hander spun a complete game shutout, Blue Jays manager John Schneider felt the pitcher was peaking at the right time. The same can’t be said for veteran right-hander Max Scherzer, whose trajectory seems to be heading in the wrong direction. […]

Culture