NEW YORK — The Yankees’ season ended not with cheers, but with the sound of Frank Sinatra echoing from the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto’s 5-2 win Wednesday night eliminated New York from the postseason and sent the Blue Jays to their first American League Championship Series since 2016. What followed was a celebration filled with swagger, trolling, and open mockery that left Yankees legends visibly uncomfortable on national television.
Moments after the final out, the familiar opening notes of “New York, New York” rang through the visiting clubhouse. The song, a Yankees tradition played after home wins, was hijacked by Toronto players who danced and sprayed champagne as the lyrics blared through the speakers.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider set the tone before the celebration began.
“Start spreading the news bitches, we’re going to the ALCS!” he yelled to his team, sparking a roar of laughter and cheers.
The music choice was not accidental. The Blue Jays followed with Pop Smoke’s “Hello,” which includes the line “I’m the King of New York.” Cameras caught Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singing along while waving a bottle of champagne, a fitting image for the player who tormented Yankees pitchers all series.
Toronto’s social media team piled on. Within minutes of the final out, the club’s official account posted a short caption that read simply, “Hit that Sinatra.”
Guerrero channels Ortiz on national television
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Guerrero wasn’t finished. During a live postgame interview on FS1, the first baseman turned the celebration into performance art. Standing in a champagne-soaked clubhouse, he looked over to former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who was part of the broadcast panel.
“Papi, podemos decir lo que siempre decimos,” Guerrero asked in Spanish. “Can we say that thing we always say?”
What came next delighted Toronto fans and stung Yankees Nation. Guerrero and Ortiz recited together the line Ortiz made famous after every Yankees loss: “Daaaaa Yankees lose!”
They said it again. And again. The FS1 cameras quickly cut to the studio, where Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez sat watching. Their tight smiles and uneasy glances said it all.
Rodriguez finally broke the tension. “When you win a series, you earn the right to say whatever you want,” he admitted.
Numbers back up Guerrero’s swagger
Guerrero had reason to celebrate. The 26-year-old dominated the ALDS, hitting .529 in the four-game series. He went 9-for-17 with three home runs, nine RBIs, and a 1.609 OPS. Every mistake the Yankees made, Guerrero punished.
George Springer added key hits of his own, combining with Guerrero to drive in multiple runs off Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler in the deciding Game 4.
Toronto won the series 3-1, ending New York’s hot streak. The Yankees entered October as one of baseball’s best teams after pushing the AL East race to the final day, only to lose the division to the Blue Jays on a tiebreaker.
Yankees suffer familiar playoff fate
The defeat marked the eighth straight year the Yankees failed to reach the World Series. It also brought another weary press conference for manager Aaron Boone, who described the clubhouse as a “beat up room.”
“We didn’t do our jobs, didn’t finish the goal,” captain Aaron Judge said after the loss. “We had a special group in here, a lot of special players that made this year fun, but we didn’t get the ultimate prize, so we came up short.”
The Yankees went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners stranded. Their offense, among the most powerful in baseball during the regular season, managed only six hits against eight Toronto pitchers.
A key error from Jazz Chisholm Jr. changed everything. With a chance to turn an inning-ending double play, he bobbled a ground ball at second base. Two batters later, Nathan Lukes ripped a two-run single to left, extending Toronto’s lead.
“Very disappointed,” Chisholm said afterward. “I feel like everybody in here believed that we had such a great team and we were the team to beat. We believe so much in each other. It’s just heartbreaking.”
Toronto owns New York in 2025
Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostAP Photo/Frank Franklin IIChris Young/The Canadian Press via AP
The Blue Jays finished 8-5 against the Yankees in the regular season, giving them the tiebreaker for the division crown. Including the postseason, New York went 6-11 against Toronto in 2025.
The Yankees struggled mightily at Rogers Centre, losing eight of nine games there this year. In the ALDS, the Blue Jays outscored them by 23 runs in Games 1 and 2 combined, setting the tone for the series.
“Credit to the Blue Jays and the year they’ve had,” Boone said. “They beat us this series, simple as that.”
Max Fried, the Yankees’ high-priced free-agent signing from last winter, faltered in Game 2 and described Wednesday as “a tough day.”
Anthony Volpe struck out 13 times in four ALDS games, while Giancarlo Stanton hit just .192 for the postseason.
“The frustration adds each year and each time we gotta come up and do this,” Stanton said.
Blue Jays advance to face Tigers or Mariners
Toronto now waits for the winner of the Tigers-Mariners series, which was tied at 2-2 as of Wednesday night. The Blue Jays last appeared in back-to-back ALCS matchups in 2015 and 2016, losing both. The franchise hasn’t hoisted a World Series trophy since winning consecutive titles in 1992 and 1993.
For the Yankees, another offseason of questions begins. Judge turns 34 next year. Stanton and ace Gerrit Cole, who missed 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, are both 35. Key free agents include outfielders Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger, along with relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.
“I’m confident we’ll break through,” Boone said, echoing sentiments he has repeated in recent years. “I believe in so many of the people in that room. That hasn’t changed. The fire hasn’t changed.”
But on this night, the only music echoing through Yankee Stadium was Sinatra — and it wasn’t the Yankees playing it.
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