TORONTO - Even though he’s locked in on the task at hand, Blue Jays manager John Schneider admits he glances at the out-of-town scoreboard five or six times a game this time of year.
Expect that number to rise over the next day or two.Â
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøand New York both earned victories Friday night to remain tied for first place in the American League East. The Blue Jays, who beat Tampa Bay 4-2, hold the tiebreaker advantage and have a magic number of two to clinch the division title.Â
The Yankees, who defeated Baltimore 8-4 for their sixth straight win, will play the Orioles again Saturday afternoon.Â
If New York loses, then a º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøwin over the Rays - a game that’s scheduled to begin about two hours later - would give the Blue Jays (92-68) the East crown and a bye to the American League Division Series.
“The pressures, the anxiety, whatever you want to call it, it’s a privilege,” said Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber, who went five innings for the win. “It’s a fantastic spot to be in. I think we all recognize that.Â
“We’re embracing it and enjoying it.”
George Springer scored twice and Nathan Lukes hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning. The blast came on a hit-and-run play with Springer aboard.
“I wasn’t really intending on putting the ball where it went, but it all worked out,” Lukes said with a smile.
It was his 12th homer of the season.
“He caught all barrel there and it was a huge hit,” Bieber said. “A huge momentum swing and it got us to the finish line.”
After three frames of shutout relief, the Blue Jays survived a nervous ninth inning. The Rays put runners in scoring position against closer Jeff Hoffman before he got Yandy Diaz on a groundout to earn his 33rd save in 40 chances.
Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda hit back-to-back solo shots off Bieber in the second inning. He allowed five hits, two walks and had three strikeouts.
The Rays (77-83) have dropped 14 of their last 20 games.
The second-place finisher in the East will play in the wild-card series. º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøhas been swept in the wild-card round in its last three post-season appearances.
The Blue Jays are looking to win the East title for the first time since 2015.
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍørookie right-hander Trey Yesavage (0-0, 5.00 earned-run average) was scheduled to make his third big-league start on Saturday. Joe Boyle (1-3, 4.40) was tabbed to start for the Rays.
The regular season concludes on Sunday.
“I think the energy has been really good the last two days and I expect it to continue to be that way,” Schneider said. “And man, you’ve got to just keep winning.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2025.Â
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