Playoff pitching in full glory for the Blue Jays as they defeated the Yankees

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have delayed more than the inevitable Monday night.

Eventually, the Yankees will win the AL East, and with their magical number two, that could easily happen at the Rogers Center this week. The way he hits, Aaron Judge looks set to make history soon, beating Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 homers.

But the Blue Jays ensured none of the celebration happened Monday by keeping Judge on the plate without a homer in five drives and keeping the Yankees’ champagne on hold with a walk-off and 3-2 win. In doing so, the Blue Jays displayed high-end pitching – the kind that will surely be played once the playoffs begin late next week.

A strong start from Kevin Gausman led the way for the Blue Jays, who win a half game overall over the Rays and Mariners, both of whom were idle. Scoreless games from Adam Cimber, Yimi Garcia, Jordan Romano, Anthony Bass and Tim Mayza followed as the Toronto pitching team limited the AL’s best offense to just two runs. Then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked away in the 10th with a single that Cavan Biggio scored.

“Such a team effort tonight,” said manager John Schneider afterwards. “For[Guerrero Jr.]it’s huge for him to go through with two outs. He feasted a little. Hopefully that catapults him down the track.”

But even after a close game between two divisional rivals, what didn’t happen is almost as noticeable as what did.

There was a sense of anticipation at the Rogers Center every time Judge came to the plate. Phones went off, recording Judge’s every move. Some fans held signs urging the judge to smack one on the outfield seats, almost all of which were full. Sitting just behind the first Yankees dugout, Roger Maris Jr. chatted with Judge’s mother.

Other routines played out on the field. Home plate umpire Laz Diaz received a new set of baseballs from the ball boys every time Judge entered. The baseballs were individually identifiable with numbers and other undisclosed means to ensure the record ball could be verified. A league authenticator was on hand just in case. Starter Kevin Gausman wasn’t thrilled with any of this, but he did his best to stay focused on the task at hand anyway.

“I don’t want to be the answer to a small question,” he said to himself.

“You have to respect what Judge does,” added Schneider. “With that comes a little extra fanfare. I think our guys did really well.”

However, this wasn’t the night for Judge, who played his first few singles and walked before hitting his next two at-bats twice. With two ons and two outs in the tenth, the Blue Jays went to Judge on purpose, preferring to put Mayza up against Anthony Rizzo, who made his way to the floor to end the threat.

“The smartest move is not to let the best man on your team beat you,” Gausman said.

That set the stage for Guerrero Jr., who hit a base hit to left field for his third walk-off hit of the season. The 34,307 in attendance made their presence felt throughout the evening, and after discussions with Blue Jays greats Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, Guerrero Jr. wasn’t surprised to see the playoffs intensify.

“I spoke to Bautista and Encarnacion,” he said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “They both told me you haven’t seen Toronto.”

“You have to accept it,” added Schneider. “Respect the fact that you’re here and enjoy what the fans give you.”

In the fourth inning, a miss by the Yankees helped the Blue Jays get on the board. With no out and Bo Bichette first, Guerrero Jr. hit the shortstop with a 111.5 mph laser. But Isiah Kiner-Falefa struggled to set it up, and instead of a double play, the Yankees had first- and second-place runners.

After a walk by Alejandro Kirk loaded the bases, Teoscar Hernandez crushed a ball off the top of the midfield wall for a two-run double. Thinking the ball was gone, Hernandez slowly left the batter’s box but still made it to second place when the Yankees threw home in a vain attempt to stop Guerrero Jr. from scoring.

In his 30th start of the season, Gausman hit 6.1 innings on two carries, striking out seven and hitting 201 puffs on the season. The only walk he issued went to Judge as the right-hander dropped his season ERA to 3.30. Simply put, Gausman did what frontline starters do and went deep into the game against an elite offense with minimal damage allowed.

Afterwards, he said he would have preferred to use regular baseballs against Judge.

“Why does he need another baseball?” Gausmann said. “If we write about it beforehand, I think he’s going to get the baseball no matter what, right? I know why they do it. But, you know, kinda weird.”

Strange or not, Jose Berrios will face the same challenge when he takes on Jameson Taillon on Tuesday in a quest for the Blue Jays’ 88th win of the season. And those in the Blue Jays clubhouse are hoping for a similar outcome if the series continues.

“We know they have to win one more to celebrate here,” Gausman said. “Of course we want to win all three of us here and not allow that.”