Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider made seven pitching changes on Wednesday.
A few hours later, Schneider gave a short speech in the clubhouse and kicked off a celebration by yelling “Start spreading the news!” while the Blue Jays doused each other with champagne and beer after wrapping up the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees.
Loud music blared, including “Theme from New York, New York,” the song that plays every time the Yankees win a home game, as the Blue Jays partied.
Jeff Hoffman finished off a four-out save as the Blue Jays used eight pitchers in a bullpen game that resulted in a 5-2 win, as Toronto clinched the best-of-five series in Game 4.
Toronto advances to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016, when it lost in five games to Cleveland. The Blue Jays will face either the Seattle Mariners or the Detroit Tigers for a place in the World Series.
Detroit downed the Mariners 9-3 to stay alive and level their series at two games apiece. Game 5 is scheduled for Friday in Seattle.
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs edged the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 to pull within 2-1 in the NLDS.
The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers were vying for a series sweep when they hosted the Philadelphia Phillies, who staved off elimination with an 8-2 victory on the road.
The Blue Jays outscored the Yankees 34-19 in the first postseason meeting between the AL East rivals. Toronto won 11 of the teams’ 17 meetings this year, including going 8-5 in the regular season to get home-field advantage in the playoffs after the teams finished tied atop the division with 94 wins.
Hoffman allowed a two-out RBI single to Aaron Judge when he was one strike away from ending the game, but he quickly secured the celebration that began on the mound and spilled into a raucous clubhouse when he fanned Cody Bellinger on a splitter — the same pitch that gave the Yankees extensive trouble in Games 1 and 2 in Toronto.
“You’re kind of mapping out best possible scenarios, and the guys have to go do their part,” Schneider said of running through his bullpen in a close-out contest. “Again, it’s not fun, per se, but I think we view it as a good challenge. And our guys have really kind of accepted that this year and done really well with it.”
Hoffman entered in the eighth after Braydon Fisher allowed a two-out hit by Giancarlo Stanton and then walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. The Toronto closer walked pinch hitter Ben Rice to load the bases but needed only one pitch to retire Austin Wells on a flyout to left to quell the threat.
“I think it can be stressful, but at the same time we’re extremely confident in all the guys,” Hoffman said of the bullpen game. “So there’s not really a pocket where you’re a little worried or anything. “
Toronto’s Louis Varland opened the game and allowed a single to Judge in 1⅓ scoreless innings. Less than 24 hours earlier, Judge slugged a Varland fastball for a three-run homer off the left field foul pole.
After Mason Fluharty allowed a tying homer to Ryan McMahon in the third inning on Wednesday, Seranthony Dominguez (1-0) got the final two outs of the third and also blanked the Yankees in the fourth.
In the fifth, Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez started the inning with singles off New York rookie Cam Schlittler. George Springer then lifted a sacrifice fly, putting Toronto up 2-1.
Eight of Toronto’s 12 hits were singles, including an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrrero Jr. in the first inning.
Guerrero hit .529 (9-for-17) with three homers and nine RBIs in the series as the Blue Jays batted .338 and scored first in each game.
“It means a lot to me,” Guerrero said through team interpreter Hector Lebron. “We’re going to the next round, to the Championship Series, and that’s my focus, and it means a lot.”
Nathan Lukes added a two-run single off Yankees reliever Devin Williams in the seventh following a fielding error by Chisholm at second base.
Myles Straw tacked on an RBI single in the eighth for Toronto, which out-hit New York 12-6.
“We didn’t execute enough to win these games,” Stanton said.
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki greets manager Craig Counsell prior to Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Brewers in Chicago on Wednesday.
| Imagn Images / VIA REUTERS
In Chicago, Pete Crow-Armstrong ripped a two-run single to highlight a four-run first inning, helping the Cubs stave off elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their NL Division Series.
The Cubs trail 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is Thursday in Chicago.
“This has been a really resilient team all year,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We know we just have more ball to play at Wrigley Field. And hopefully we can finish the job in Milwaukee.”
Michael Busch homered to lead off the first inning for the second time in this series, becoming the first player in major league history to accomplish the feat, per MLB.com. He also went deep in the Cubs’ 9-3 loss to the Brewers in Game 1 on Saturday.
“He’s incredible,” Cubs reliever Brad Keller said. “We’ve been watching it all year long. He keeps setting the tone every single game, including the playoffs too. It’s just so fun to watch.”
Ian Happ scored on a wild pitch, and Nico Hoerner and Kyle Tucker each had two of Chicago’s eight hits.
Drew Pomeranz (1-0) struck out two batters while retiring the side in order in the fifth inning.
Jake Bauers had an RBI single in the fourth inning and an opposite-field homer to lead off the seventh to trim Chicago’s lead to 4-3.
Keller struck out Bauers with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning. He then retired the side in the ninth to secure his second save of the playoffs.
Sal Frelick’s sacrifice fly plated Christian Yelich in the top of the first before the Cubs responded with a flourish in their half of the inning.
Busch deposited a 3-2 fastball from Quinn Priester (0-1) over the wall in right-center field to forge a 1-1 tie. The homer was Busch’s team-leading third of the postseason.
The Cubs quickly loaded the bases before Crow-Armstrong’s single to right field scored Hoerner and Tucker and chased Priester from the game.
“Huge,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Crow-Armstrong’s hit. “Huge hit and a huge time. Very clutch. That’s what had to happen for us. We had to get that big two-out hit, and didn’t get it.”
Nick Mears relieved Priester and promptly uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Happ to score and extend Chicago’s lead to 4-1.
Bauers trimmed his team’s deficit with an RBI single in the fourth before Caleb Durbin was tagged out in a rundown at home plate on a Brandon Lockridge bunt. Joey Ortiz grounded out to end the inning, stranding two in scoring position.
Priester permitted four runs on three hits with two walks in two-thirds of an inning.
In the first of four games on Wednesday, Riley Greene and Javier Baez both homered in a four-run sixth inning as the Tigers rallied to beat the Mariners.
Gleyber Torres added a home run in the seventh inning for the Tigers.
“We believe,” Greene said. “We’re never out of the game no matter what, and we always believe in ourselves.”
The Tigers erased a 3-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth — capped by a game-tying single from Baez.
Greene led off the sixth with a towering solo homer to, his first career postseason home run, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game.
Spencer Torkelson smacked a double and scored on a single by Zach McKinstry before Baez lofted a two-run homer that put the Tigers up 7-3.
