New York/ Toronto — The Blue Jays sent more than baseballs flying out of Rogers Centre this weekend. They launched a verbal jab that has the Yankees captain and his team ready to strike back.
After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. demolished Yankees pitching in consecutive blowout wins, Toronto infielder Ernie Clement made a remark that added fire to an already heated rivalry.
“He’s the best hitter in the world I believe,” Clement said about Guerrero after Toronto’s 13-7 Game 2 win Sunday.
That comment placed Guerrero above Aaron Judge, the Yankees captain and the favorite for this year’s AL MVP. For a player chasing his third MVP since 2022, such words hit deep in the Bronx.
Words that might cost Toronto
The Blue Jays now lead the best-of-five Division Series 2-0 after outscoring the Yankees 23-8 in two games. Guerrero went 6-for-9 with two home runs and six RBIs across the weekend.
Still, Clement’s statement may have handed the Yankees the motivation they needed heading into Tuesday’s elimination game at Yankee Stadium.
“When we get back to New York, we gotta be the ones to score first and kind of put the pressure on them,” Judge said after Game 2.
Aaron Judge on being down 2-0: "We've been here before."
The Captain reflects on the Yankees' 2017 comeback in the ALDS against Cleveland, and discusses flipping the script against the Blue Jays.#YANKSonYESpic.twitter.com/3s1psP03Tf
Judge didn’t directly respond to Clement’s comment. He didn’t have to. His postseason history says enough.
A friendly rivalry turns personal
Former Yankees infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, now with Toronto, knows both sluggers well after playing with Judge in 2022 and 2023.
“Judge wants to be the best, Vladi wants to be the best,” Kiner-Falefa said. “At the end of the day, it’s a friendly competition between those big stars.”
But after Clement’s remark, the rivalry feels more personal.
“This weekend was a big opportunity for Vladi to show off for the fan base and he was able to have huge hits,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I think that was a great thing for us to get him going.”
The Yankees have shown respect for Guerrero by pitching around him all season. They’ve walked Judge’s rival 17 times in 15 matchups, including playoffs. Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged the team’s cautious approach toward Judge. Only five of the 23 pitches Judge saw Sunday were in the strike zone.
“We don’t want to give them any ammo,” Kiner-Falefa said. “They’ve got Mr. Judge.”
Numbers tell different stories
NYY
Aaron Judge’s numbers this postseason look strong on paper. Through two ALDS games, he’s 4-for-7 with a double, two walks, and one RBI. Yet, the Yankees have lost both games by a combined 15 runs.
Before this year, Judge had a .205 batting average with 16 homers and 34 RBIs in 58 playoff games. This October, he’s hitting .444 through five games, though he has yet to homer.
Guerrero’s postseason turnaround is even more striking. Entering this year, he had only three hits in 22 playoff at-bats across three Blue Jays postseason appearances, all ending in Wild Card sweeps. Now, he’s 6-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs, and Toronto sits one win from the ALCS.
“I said it before the series,” Schneider said. “I want him to play free and confident and loose, but at the same time be locked in. He’s pretty locked in right now.”
History on the Yankees’ side
Judge has faced this scenario before. In his 2017 rookie season, the Yankees fell behind 0-2 to Cleveland in the Division Series. That Cleveland team owned the best record in the American League and one of baseball’s top offenses.
The Yankees stormed back to win three straight and clinched the series in Cleveland.
October 8, 2017 Aaron Judge robs Francisco Lindor (and @zack_hample) of a homer in Game 3 of the ALDS pic.twitter.com/bnmuDcNiEI
“We came back home, had another tough Game 3, little pitching duel, but came out on the other side,” Judge said Sunday night. “We’ve got experience. We’ve got guys in here who have been to the World Series, been in some tough moments, backs against the wall.”
The Yankees also faced elimination just last week in the Wild Card Series against Boston. They dropped Game 1 before winning the next two. No team had ever advanced after losing the Wild Card opener before them.
“We’ve been doing it all year long,” Judge said. “We’ve had our backs against the wall, we’ve been in some tough spots.”
The math vs. revenge
Statistics don’t lie. Teams that win both Games 1 and 2 at home in the Division Series advance 91 percent of the time, winning 31 of 34 such matchups. Twenty of those ended in sweeps.
The last time a team overcame that deficit was in 2017 — those same Yankees who shocked Cleveland.
“There’s been a lot of weird things that have happened in baseball this year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “This would not be the weirdest, us rallying.”
The Yankees now need three straight wins to stay alive. They must find answers for rookie Trey Yesavage, who struck out 11 in 5.1 no-hit innings Sunday. They need their bats to wake up after scoring just eight runs in two games.
Most of all, they must channel the anger stirred by the idea that their captain is not the best hitter in the world.
“We gotta take it to them,” Judge said. “Put the pressure on them and kind of flip the script.”
Game 3 takes place Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Carlos Rodon will start for the Yankees against Toronto’s Shane Bieber. The Yankees’ season is on the line.
Guerrero, though, knows the job isn’t finished despite Toronto’s control of the series.
“It is not over,” Guerrero said. “Until you win the third game, we’ve got to keep working hard to get that third win.”
But thanks to Clement’s bold words, the Yankees now have an extra spark of motivation. Whether that’s enough to erase a 2-0 hole remains uncertain. What’s clear is that Judge and his teammates will take the field Tuesday driven by pride, revenge, and the need to remind everyone who the real best hitter in the world is.
The Blue Jays may have awakened a sleeping giant — and the Yankees are ready to swing back.
