The Toronto Blue Jays are sitting back and watching their two division rivals go at it in the Wild Card round, with the winner heading up north to the Rogers Centre this upcoming weekend.
The Boston Red Sox opened the series with a 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night in the Bronx. Game 2 will be on Wednesday night, with the Red Sox having a chance to close things out. If not, Game 3 will be on Thursday. The Blue Jays and their and would love to see the series go the distance.
Whoever emerges will head to Toronto to open the American League Division Series on Saturday. On Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced two scenarios and start times for the first two games at the Rogers Centre.
If Boston wins the series, the ALDS will begin on Saturday at 1:08 p.m. ET. If New York wins, Game 1 will begin at 4:08 p.m. ET. Regardless of who advances, Game 2 will start at 4:08 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Toronto secured home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs after they won the AL East on Sunday with a 13-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. They won the head-to-head season series with the Yankees, which gave them the division after the two teams finished tied for first.
Getting the bye was important for the Blue Jays for several reasons, but maybe no bigger one than it giving Bo Bichette more time to rehab his injury. Last weekend, manager John Schneider said it would have been “highly unlikely” to see Bichette play this week, but with five extra days off, it increases his chances of playing this weekend.
Toronto also catches a break in terms of resetting their pitching staff after Kevin Gausman pitched on Sunday against the Rays. That would have taken him out of the Wild Card Series. Now, he can comeback on regular rest against either the Red Sox or Yankees.
The Blue Jays will play a pair of intersquad games on Wednesday and Thursday that will be 4-5 innings long. Fans can attend for $10. Having five days off can create some rest for players at the plate and on the mound. Two intersquad games will not have the same intensity as a playoff game, but it gives the batters a chance to hit live pitching and allow the pitchers to throw live batters and get work in.
Whether it is Boston or New York that emerges the winner, Toronto would love to see the series go three games so both teams have to go through more pitching than they would want ahead of this weekend.
