Game Recap: 2025 ALDS, Game 3 – W – TOR: 6, NYY: 9
For years and years, Yankees fans have waited for this moment. For Aaron Judge’s moment. For the captain to come up clutch in a high-leverage postseason situation. Last night, King Judge launched a 100-mph fastball toward left field, and it kept climbing higher as it soared down the left field line. It looked like it was going to hook foul, but then it “doinked” off the foul pole for a three-run home run. Suddenly, the Yankees had transformed a 6-1 deficit into a tie game.
“I guess a couple of ghosts out there helped kind of keep that fair,” Judge said. His doink highlighted a memorable October night for the Bombers.
Three straight elimination games in the Bronx. Now, make it four. Last night, the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 to stay alive in the American League Division Series (ALDS). When leading by five runs or more this regular season, the Blue Jays held a 71-4 record, and things could not have started better for them in this game.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and quickly, he put Yankee Stadium to sleep. The Yankees were able to score one run in the bottom of the first inning, but things unraveled quickly in the third. The Blue Jays scored four more runs off starter Carlos Rodón to take a 6-1 lead, and Aaron Boone had to go to his bullpen.
Rodón didn’t have control of his pitches. He couldn’t generate lateral movement on his slider, and he only threw six changeups. Yankees’ starting pitching has allowed 15 runs in this ALDS, and no starting pitcher has been able to generate high-quality stuff against Toronto. It feels like every starter is trying too hard to generate swings and misses against a lineup that doesn’t strike out often. Fernando Cruz managed to secure the final two outs of the third inning, but it still felt like the Yankees were on their way to getting swept.
But in the bottom of the third inning, the Yankees forced Toronto’s starter, Shane Bieber, out of the game. They matched Toronto’s aggressiveness as Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge doubled, Cody Bellinger singled, and Giancarlo Stanton lifted a sacrifice fly 405 feet to center field to cut the Yankees’ deficit to three runs.
With two outs in the top of the fourth inning, two fans ran onto the field. Security had to chase them, pin them down, and escort them away. The streakers added to the clown show in the Bronx as the Yankees were still trailing Toronto. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, Addison Barger committed a costly error at third base to allow Austin Wells to reach second, and after Trent Grisham walked, Blue Jays manager John Schneider summoned the hard-throwing Louis Varland out of Toronto’s bullpen. Perhaps momentum was beginning to turn in the Yankees’ favor.
In Game 1, a few batters after Judge struck out on Kevin Gausman’s low splitter with the bases loaded, Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging on Varland’s high heater. Ahead of Judge’s at-bat last night, Stanton gave him a scouting report on Varland. Judge took this advice, and after fouling off a hanging curveball and whiffing on a center-cut fastball, he pulled his hands in and drilled an inside fastball off the left-field foul pole for a three-run shot.
Yankee Stadium erupted. Finally, Judge had achieved his first signature playoff moment.
Throughout Judge’s career, there have been plenty of reasons to criticize his October identity. It’s felt like every postseason, he’s wilted under the pressure, despite putting up sensational regular-season numbers. But now, Judge has proven he can handle October baseball. “It was a best-player-in-the-game type of performance,” said Aaron Boone. “It was special when, obviously, needless to say, we’re backs against the wall and then some in a Game 3 situation.”
For the first time in his career, Judge homered on a pitch that missed the strike zone, and this was the fastest pitch he had ever hit over the fence. “When the ball is in the air, it’s kind of silent,” Judge said. “You’ve got a lot of unknown. But then, right when it hits the pole, I’m looking straight at my teammates, all the guys that have been battling with me all year long, battling for this moment.”
When Judge took to right field in the top of the fifth inning, he received a standing ovation as “MVP” chants echoed through Yankee Stadium. The Blue Jays had a runner at second base for Anthony Santander, who lined a ball to right field, and it looked like Toronto was going to regain the lead. But then, Judge dove on his belly and made an incredible catch. The crowd erupted again, bowing down to the captain as they chanted “MVP.”
During that woeful third inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a poor read on a play that allowed the Blue Jays to send home an extra run. But in the fifth inning, he made everyone forget about his blunder as he clubbed a 99-mph fastball off the railing of the second deck in right field. His solo shot gave the Yankees their first lead of this series.
“It might have been the streakers that changed the momentum,” said Chisholm, referring to the fans who ran onto the field during the top of the fourth inning. Chisholm is sometimes referred to as the “prince” of New York, second to the king, Aaron Judge. Well, the king and the prince both homered last night for the Bronx Bombers.
“This is what we live for,” said Chisholm. “Like we’ve always said, we’re not giving up until it’s the 27th out and our season’s over.”
While Toronto used six relievers who surrendered six runs, the Yankees used five bullpen arms, and each of them posted a scoreless appearance. As sensational as the Yankees were offensively, none of their achievements would have been possible without the bullpen’s excellent performance. The back end deserves the most credit, as Devin Williams recorded his first multi-out appearance since 2023, and David Bednar stormed through the heart of Toronto’s order to earn a five-out save.
“You want those shutdown innings, especially after the offense gets the momentum,” Bednar said. The Yankees’ closer retired George Springer, Nathan Lukes, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to end the ballgame, and now, the Yankees are preparing for another elimination game.
As important as it is for the Yankees to shift their focus toward tonight’s game, last night was unforgettable. It was one of those special October nights that will live on in Yankees history. But it’s only as special as the result of this ALDS, and the Yankees understand the daunting task ahead.
Game 4 is scheduled for tonight at 7:08 PM (6:08 PM CDT) (FS1). RHP Louis Varland (4-3, 2.97 ERA, 75 K) will get the spot start for the Blue Jays as they roll out a bullpen game against the Yankees, with Eric Lauer getting the bulk of the innings and Yariel Rodríguez, Seranthony Domínguez, and Jeff Hoffman playing key roles as well. For the Yankees, RHP Cam Schlittler (4-3, 2.96 ERA, 84 K) will try to follow up his historic start against Boston, which sent the Yankees to the ALDS. However, the last time he faced Toronto, he allowed four runs over 1 2/3 innings.
