The five biggest moments of the Blue Jays' ALDS win over division rival Yankees

For the first time since 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the ALCS. The Blue Jays advanced after beating the New York Yankees in four games in the ALDS. Toronto now awaits the result of the other ALDS series between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers.

There were many memorable moments for the Blue Jays in the ALDS. Before we get into the top five, some honourable mentions include:
Alejandro Kirk hitting two home runs in Game 1
Kevin Gausman striking out Aaron Judge with the bases loaded in Game 1
Daulton Varsho hitting two home runs and two doubles in Game 2
The Blue Jay hit five home runs in Game 2

The five biggest moments of the Blue Jays' ALDS win over division rival Yankees

5. Ernie Clement goes 4-for-4 in Game 3: Ernie Clement was one of the best players for the Blue Jays in the ALDS. He went 9-for-14 with one home run and five RBIs. He never walked, and he never struck out.

Clement's finest moment came in Game 3, where he went 4-for-4, including an RBI single in the third inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Superman-slid into home. Clement also beat out Ben Rice for an infield single in the second inning.

Game 3 was Clement's best performance, but he was strong throughout the entire series. He went 3-for-4 in Game 2, including a two-run home run that opened the scoring for the Blue Jays. In Game 4, he was 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Offensively, Clement did what he does best: put the ball in play and get on base. Add in his defence, which is always reliable, and Clement is one of the biggest reasons the Blue Jays are headed to the ALCS.

4. Louis Varland strikes out Giancarlo Stanton in Game 1: Louis Varland entered Game 1 in the sixth inning. The bases were loaded with two outs and Giancarlo Stanton at the plate. Kevin Gausman walked Cody Bellinger, bringing in Anthony Volpe to make it a 2-1 game.

Varland struck out Stanton to escape the inning and preserve the Blue Jays' lead. It was the only major point of tension for the Blue Jays in a 10-1 win over the Yankees to start the series.

3. Nathan Lukes' RBIs in Game 1 and 4: The best thing about the 2025 Blue Jays is that everyone contributes to the team's success in a meaningful way and former minor league journey man Nathan Lukes came up big twice for the Blue Jays.

In the seventh inning of Game 1, with Toronto up 3-1, Lukes hit an RBI double to make it a 5-1 game. From there, the Blue Jays' bats were rolling.

He did it again in Game 4 in the top of the seventh inning. The Blue Jays were holding onto a 2-1 lead when Lukes hit an RBI single to give the Blue Jays a little bit of insurance. That ended up being the game-winning RBI in a 5-2 victory that sent the Blue Jays to the Championship Series.

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr's grand slam in Game 2: It's hard to believe that Guerrero's final home run in the regular season came on September 5 in a 7-1 win over the Yankees. Guerrero snapped out of his slump immediately, hitting a home run in his first at-bat in Game 1 to open the scoring for Toronto.

Guerrero's crowning moment came in Game 2. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Guerrero launched a 415-foot home run. It was the first grand slam in postseason history for the Blue Jays.

Guerrero went 9-for-17 in the ALDS with nine RBIs while hitting a home run in each of the first three games. To win in the postseason, the stars need to show up, and Guerrero certainly did.

1. Yesavage's incredible start in Game 2: Ordinarily, a star player hitting a franchise's first-ever postseason grand slam would be the story of the game. Unless, of course, it happens in the same game that a 22-year-old pitcher in his fourth major league start pitches 5.1 innings with eleven strikeouts

Trey Yesavage's first postseason start wasn't just good, it was record-breaking. Yesavage's eleven strikeouts were the most in Blue Jays postseason history. The only times the Yankees reached base were when Aaron Judge walked in the first inning and in the second when he reached on an error.

When John Schneider came out to pull Yesavage from the game, he was met by a roar of boos. Yesavage, on the other hand, walked off the mound to a standing ovation. He came back out of the dugout for a curtain call and was once again met with thunderous applause. Yesavage far exceeded expectations for his first postseason start and cemented his place in the Blue Jays rotation during the playoffs.