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The Yankees have since reversed course. They entered Thursday having won five of their last six series, which included a pair of winning streaks that lasted at least five games. After trailing the Jays by as many as 6 1/2 games, the deficit has since been narrowed to 3 1/2.

That makes this weekend’s series appointment viewing. Taking two of three games would allow the Yankees to reduce the gap a bit more. A sweep would pull them close to even. If the Jays come out on top, the Yankees would be knocked down another peg with time starting to run out on their season.

“We’ve played them well,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “This time of year, every series is important. I don’t want (the players) to put extra pressure on themselves. We’re in the driver’s seat. We’ve played good baseball. The goal is to continue to play good baseball and have everyone do what we expect them to do and try to win a series. That’s it.”

If there’s one reason more than any other that the Jays are currently in first place, it’s how they have handled their top division rivals. Schneider’s squad has gone 7-3 against both the Yankees and Red Sox this season. Without that four-game gap, the standings would look a lot different.

The Yankees had yet to announce their starting pitching probables as of late Thursday afternoon but, if they stay on turn, it likely will be hard-throwing rookie Cam Schlittler in Game 1, Luis Gil in Game 2 and veteran left-hander Max Fried in the finale. The Jays will counter with Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt.

There are some big names in that group but if this year’s previous matchups are any indication, this series will be all about offence. In the seven wins over New York this season, the Jays averaged 7.4 runs; the Yankees averages 6.7 runs in their three wins. 

That shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Yankees have the top-ranked offence in the majors this season with 5.27 runs per game while the Jays are a close fourth at 5.03. Whichever team’s bats show up the most at Yankee Stadium will gain the advantage.

“Just playing good baseball,” Jays centre-fielder Daulton Varsho said when asked what the Jays need to do this weekend to be successful. “Don’t try to make the series bigger than what it needs to be. Just knowing that they’re a good team, we have to play well.”

This is the final time the Jays and Yankees will meet during the regular season. The Jays have already won the yearlong series, which means they own the tiebreaker. That turns their 3 1/2 game lead over the Yankees into 4 1/2 with just over three weeks remaining.

The Jays have the clear edge but to maintain they need to continue playing well. They have the seventh-hardest schedule remaining in the majors. (The Red Sox schedule is eighth.)

The Yankees’ schedule is the 20th-hardest. They will close out the year with four consecutive series against teams that are below .500.

That means it would be extremely beneficial for the Jays to create some additional breathing room this weekend. 

“We know what’s in front of us,” Schneider said after his team took two of three games from Cincinnati.

The top priority for the Jays is securing the AL East title and finishing the year with one of the top two records of the three division winners. That would allow them to bypass the best-of-three wild-card round and, considering the Jays haven’t made it out of the first round in almost a decade, that’s a big deal.

A series victory over the Yankees would move them one step closer to achieving that goal. A series loss and all bets are off.