John Schneider masterfully crafts together bullpen game, Blue Jays eliminate Yankees

Yes, Nathan Lukes had the game of his life, and Myles Straw probably had the biggest hit of his life, adding a late insurance run to secure the ALDS for the Blue Jays. George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came through with RBI's of their own, too.

That said, Wednesday night's win, which will send the Blue Jays to the ALCS for the first time since 2016, was thanks to impressive work by Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty, Seranthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Jeff Hoffman, along with a management masterclass from John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker.

Schneider’s bullpen brilliance propels Blue Jays to first ALCS since 2016

Combined, the eight relievers limited the New York Yankees, who scored the most runs in this year's regular season, to just two runs on six hits, leading the way to a 5-2 win in Game 4. If John Schneider hadn't already locked up the American League Manager of the Year award, Wednesday's game may have solidified his spot.

Considering the Blue Jays (whose preseason win total was 78.5) obliterated the line with 94 wins, advanced to the ALCS, and displayed one of the best bullpen games that fans have seen from this team, Schneider should most definitely be a favourite for the award.

The way Schneider, with the help of Walker, strung together tonight's bullpen game was masterful; all of the buttons were pressed at the perfect time. Pitching out of the opener role, Louis Varland took the ball for Toronto and delivered a shut-down performance, an outing that the Blue Jays desperately needed after a rocky Game 3 outing where he surrendered two huge home runs to Aaron Judge and another to Jazz Chisholm.

Varland bounced back, blanking the Yankees over one and a third innings, striking out two while retiring four of the six hitters he faced before handing things over to the rest of the bullpen.

From there, Schneider’s bullpen management masterclass became the story of the night. Mason Fluharty followed Varland in the second but gave up a solo shot to Ryan McMahon, one of only two blemishes on the night.

After that, Schneider worked his matchups, as he turned to Domínguez, Lauer, Rodríguez, and Little, who each played their part in getting through the middle innings. The group combined to keep New York’s offence practically silent, preventing momentum.

The cushion that Lukes and Straw gave with their massive hits, extending the lead to 5-1, gave Schneider some flexibility with the bullpen, as Fisher opened the eighth. Fisher began the eighth with a massive strikeout of Judge, which may have been his best work this season, before Schneider made another beneficial call, pulling him after a pair of base runners.

From there, the closer Hoffman took the mound, the last of Schneider's trusted high-leverage options. Hoffman issued a walk right out of the gate to load the bases, but he escaped unscathed.

In the ninth, he allowed a leadoff double from Jasson Domínguez and an RBI single by Judge, but Hoffman regained his command, punching out Cody Bellinger to seal the 5–2 win, sending Toronto to the ALCS.

For a bullpen that ranked just 16th in ERA during the regular season, this performance was a monumental statement, and a ton of the credit goes to Schneider’s game plan. He never let the Yankees get comfortable, giving the quick hook to a few of the pitchers tonight.

In Game 4, Schneider managed one of, if not his finest game as Toronto’s skipper, guiding the Jays to a massive, season-defining win over the New York Yankees.

Schneider’s postgame quotes encapsulated the importance of everyone being involved and emphasized that Wednesday’s win was a true team effort, with eight pitchers getting a chance to shine.