Best moments in Blue Jays-Yankees history ahead of 2025 ALDS

Today, the 2025 MLB Postseason starts for the AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays as they get set to clash with the New York Yankees in the ALDS. Despite being division rivals for decades, 2025 is the first time ever that the Blue Jays will meet the Yankees in the postseason. The wait for the two teams to meet in the postseason has been long overdue.

Although the Blue Jays and Yankees have been division rivals, it hasn't been an "intense" rivalry like the Yankees have with the Boston Red Sox. However, that doesn't mean the Blue Jays and Yankees haven't had memorable moments on the field or off the field.

Best moments in Blue Jays-Yankees history

Honorable mention: 2022 in the stands

On May 3, 2022, the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 9-1 at Rogers Centre. However, the final score wasn't the highlight of the game.

During the top of the sixth inning, Aaron Judge hit a solo home run. Blue Jays fan Michael Lanzillotta grabbed the ball off the ground and handed it to a 9-year-old Yankee fan named Derek Rodriguez who was wearing a Judge shirt. Once the Blue Jays fan handed the ball to him, Rodriguez got emotional and cried. He hugged Lanzillotta who was able to give the young fan a moment he will never forget.

Springer's slam on Canada Day

This past Canada Day, the Blue Jays hosted the Yankees in front of a packed crowd in Toronto. This series was pivotal to help the Blue Jays start their momentum toward winning the AL East in 2025 and it all really got rolling thanks to George Springer.

With the Blue Jays up 5-4, Springer hit a grand slam to give the Blue Jays full control of the game. The grand slam was Springer's second home run of the game and not only did the Blue Jays win12-5 but they swept the Yankees, took over first place in the division and never let that lead slip away.

2016's brawl

On Sept. 26, 2016, things got chippy quickly into the Blue Jays-Yankees game in Toronto. It all started in the first inning when Yankees pitcher Luis Severino hit Josh Donaldson. In the second inning, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ threw a pitch behind Chase Headley. Then, Happ hit Headley which resulted in warnings being issued. After Headley was hit, tempers flared with the benches clearing.

In the next half inning, Severino hit Justin Smoak which led to Severino getting thrown out. After Smoak was hit, the benches cleared again and punches were thrown. Having the benches clear twice in a span of two innings doesn't happen often, but it happened in a 2016 Blue Jays-Yankees game.

2015 revenge for an All-Star

From 2011-2012, catcher Russell Martin spent two seasons with the Yankees, and was an All-Star in 2011. In 2015, Martin played his first season as a Blue Jay. It ended up as a special year for Martin and the Blue Jays as the Canadian made his fourth All-Star Game and the Blue Jays won their first division title in 2022 years. Martin was a major factor in their division title run as he had a tremendous season producing a 3.0 bWAR with 23 home runs and a 112 OPS+.

One of Martin's best games from 2015 was against his old team on Sept. 11, 2015. Martin hit two home runs in the Blue Jays' 11-5 win in the Bronx which put Toronto 2.5 games up on the Yankees heading into the stretch run of their playoff chase.

The master outduels his former protégé

A.J. Burnett pitched for three seasons with the Blue Jays from 2006-2008. During his time in Toronto, he developed a close friendship with Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, as Halladay taught Burnett how to approach the game better and to hone in on his raw talent even more. The two of them were supposed to lead the front of Toronto's staff for several years, but Burnett opted out of his five-year deal with Toronto prior to the 2009 season and joined their rivals, the Yankees and became public enemy number one for the Blue Jays fan base.

On May 12, 2009, Burnett returned to Toronto and faced-off against his former mentor, who would go on to become a member of the Hall of Fame. The buzz around the Rogers Centre that day was palpable as the fans were right into every moment of the pitching duel.

Halladay and Burnett went toe-to-toe. Burnett pitched into the eighth inning, but had allowed five runs and left the game with two outs in the eighth and the Blue Jays ahead 5-1. Halladay pitched a complete game to earn the win. In September of the same year, Halladay dominated the Yankees again with a complete game shutout at Yankee Stadium in one of his final starts as a member of the Blue Jays.

HA!

On May 30, 2007, the Blue Jays and Yankees met at Rogers Centre in what was pretty much an ordinary game until the top of the ninth. With the Yankees trying to extend their lead with two runners on and two outs, Jorge Posada hit a pop up which should have ended the inning.

While rounding the bases, Alex Rodriguez was able to distract Blue Jays' infielder Howie Clark by yelling "Mine" and Clarke backed off the ball thinking it was his teammate who yelled at him. Clark watched helplessly as the ball dropped next to him and the inning continued.

After the game, Rodriguez was questioned about what he said while rounding the bases. Rodriguez admitted to saying "ha" to cause the distraction on Clark which led to a Yankees run.

Vernon takes Mo deep

Mariano Rivera is one of the greatest players of all-time and the only unanimous player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rivera holds the MLB record for 652 saves and a career ERA+ of 205. However, it was a Blue Jays All-Star who had the last laugh in a game on July 20, 2006. Vernon Wells joined a very short list of players who had been able to solve Rivera.

Wells hit a walk off home run to give the Blue Jays the win and at the time, Wells became just the third player to ever hit a walk off home run off Rivera in a regular season game.

1998's brawl

Roger Clemens is one of the best pitchers in Blue Jays history, winning two Cy Youngs in his only two years in a Blue Jays uniform. However, one of Clemens' most famous moments in Toronto was he was part of a brawl against the Yankees on Sept. 11, 1998.

After the Yankees tied the game at three on a sacrifice fly, Clemens hit Scott Brosius. Tensions started to brew after the hit by pitch. Later in the game, Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu hit Shannon Stewart which then led to the benches clearing. Clemens had to be told by an umpire to go back into the dugout after he came out of the dugout when the benches cleared. Clemens was chirping with Darryl Strawberry which lead to more tension building.

The first division title for the expansion Blue Jays

In 1977, the Blue Jays played their first season in franchise history and by the time 1985 rolled around, they had already been talked about as the "up and coming team of the future." On the second last day of the season, the Blue Jays played the Yankees with the division title on the line.

After what felt like years and years of waiting, Toronto finally claimed their first ever division title and to get it done against the mighty Yankees franchise felt like the icing on the cake.