NEW YORK – Within the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was soaked in champagne and talking about the biggest win of his life. Wearing ski goggles and a sopping 2025 ALCS Blue Jays t-shirt, he replied to question after question as music pumped through the clubhouse speakers.
“The job’s not finished,” he calmly told one media member after the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 5-2 to advance to the ALCS. “We’ve got eight more to go.”
As soon as Guerrero Jr. ended this interview, another wave of reporters arrived with more questions, this time in Spanish.
At times, he was calm, at times a little more animated. “Daaaaa Yankees lose,” a smiling Guerrero Jr. told David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter live on FOX Sports while Yariel Rodriguez doused him with beer.
After an ALDS performance in which Guerrero Jr. collected nine hits, including three home runs, there was no question he belonged in the spotlight as the Blue Jays celebrated the 3-1 series win over the Yankees. Nearby, as Bo Bichette celebrated the win with his teammates, he reflected on reaching another milestone with his longtime friend and teammate.
“It’s not surprising,” Bichette said. “I think he just loves being in these moments. It was awesome to watch.”
“We wanted to win a World Series our entire careers,” Bichette continued. “Obviously we’re not there yet, but this is a huge step. It’s really a blessing to be a part of this group.”
With the win, the Blue Jays did something they haven’t done in nine years: win a playoff series. They’re back in the ALCS for the first time since 2016 with a matchup against either the Tigers or Mariners that begins in Toronto Sunday.
Later, while the team celebrated on the field, president Mark Shapiro stood quietly by the visitors dugout, reflecting on what they’d just accomplished. He spoke highly of the Yankees, praising the overall strength of their roster, including recent trades for Ryan McMahon and David Bednar. But while the Yankees were a formidable opponent, Shapiro described the 2025 Blue Jays as the picture of resilience, determination and team effort.
“And these guys, they really personify that,” Shapiro told Sportsnet.ca. “When you watch a celebration, you hope that’s what you’re celebrating, not just winning, but doing it in a way that makes a city and a country – and I was proud. That’s how it felt.”
Shapiro then paused briefly, before adding one further thought.
“That and silence in Yankee Stadium,” he said, smiling. “That’s the greatest sound. I’ve heard it twice in my career. And as much as I would always want to celebrate at home, this would be the second-best place in the world to celebrate, because there’s nothing better than hearing complete silence and just 30 guys in the middle of the field. It’s unbelievable.”
This win was emblematic of the 2025 Blue Jays in that it featured contributions from so many different players and showed off many of the team’s strengths: tough at-bats, strong defence and dramatically improved relief pitching.
But the significance of this win also extends well beyond this season. It represents a release after nine years that have included plenty of frustration, a new high water mark for players, coaches and front office staff alike and validation that the work happening behind the scenes really does pay off.
On the pitching side, Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty, Seranthony Dominguez, Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Jeff Hoffman combined to limit the best lineup in baseball to just two runs on six hits.
At the plate, Guerrero Jr. was the offensive star of the series, but Wednesday’s win was made possible thanks to a team approach that featured lots of contact and aggressive baserunning. The Blue Jays struck out just twice against hard-throwing Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who dominated the Red Sox on his way to 12 strikeouts in his playoff debut last week.
And on a day big names like George Springer and Anthony Santander were relatively quiet at the plate, the biggest hits came from Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw – each of whom was considered a role player entering the season.
“Pretty amazing to beat them, man, and the way we did it was pretty cool,” Shapiro said.
Throughout the ALDS, the Blue Jays showed off enviable depth, defeating an immensely talented Yankees team that, while built differently than the Blue Jays, had a legitimate shot at returning to the World Series were it not for their AL East rivals.
The series win puts the Blue Jays four wins away from their first World Series appearance since 1993, but already this season can be considered a success in many ways.
For homegrown players like Guerrero Jr., Bichette and Alejandro Kirk, these three wins are the first of their playoff careers. They’ve now won their first series in the major leagues, building on the success they enjoyed as minor-leaguers playing under John Schneider back in 2017.
“I’m really happy for them, because it’s been nothing but failure in the post-season for the past couple years,” Schneider said. “For Vlad to have the series he did, hopefully Bo can get back, Kirky being who he is all year, it’s nice to flip the narrative a little and move on to the ALCS.”
For Schneider and his coaching staff, this win is a reward for the hard work that happens behind the scenes all year — and proof that the adjustments made after painful playoff exits in 2022 and 2023 are paying off.
“It makes you feel good about the work that you do and the support that you get from so many different people that don’t get recognized,” Schneider said. “I usually get scrutinized for decisions good or bad – usually bad. But it gives us a lot of fulfillment to stick to a process.”
And for a front office that faced loud public criticism as recently as this off-season, this win shows that Shapiro has the organization in a healthy place and that GM Ross Atkins, in acquiring every player on the 40-man except Guerrero Jr., has built a strong roster.
As Schneider remarked recently, baseball can be a cruel game. After Wednesday, the Yankees can certainly attest to that. But while the Blue Jays have known their share of cruel moments in recent years, including playoff sweeps and painful near-misses in free agency, it’s now others who must navigate that pain.
In Toronto, the work is paying off. And while more challenges await this team, they’ve collectively reached heights this franchise hasn’t matched in years, with a chance to achieve even more.
“It means a lot. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, so it feels good winning with them,” Guerrero Jr. said. “I’ve been playing with them since 2016, and to me we’ve got to continue, believe in each other and try to win it all.”
