The Yankees Collapsed Again, And Toronto's Ready to Remind Them of Last October

Yo, Seattle, you watching this?! The New York Yankees, supposed titans of the AL East, went through a nightmare road trip, dropping two-thirds of their games and collapsing against the Mets. Guess who's rolling into town tonight for the first time this season? Toronto's Blue Jays, the team that outplayed them last summer and knows a thing or two about eliminating the Bronx Bombers. Get ready, because John Schneider's "start spreading the news" moment from last October is probably still ringing in their ears!

New York's Rollercoaster Ride

Man, what a wild ride for the Yankees this past month. They were on fire, winning a ridiculous 16 of 19 games between April 17 and May 7. Then, BAM! They hit the road and went a brutal 2-7 against Milwaukee, Baltimore, and the Mets. Three walk-off losses? Seriously? That Mets series was a gut punch. They were one out away from winning that series, and David Bednar served up a tying three-run bomb to Tyrone Taylor. Then it's a 7-6 loss in the tenth after Max Schuemann and Anthony Volpe collided. Volpe had a two-run single and drove in three before that mess, and Ben Rice even homered, but 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-25 in the last two games? That's not gonna cut it! Even Aaron Judge sounds like he's trying to keep the vibes up, saying, "The boys are playing hard though. That's, I think, the biggest thing is guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to, but coming up a little bit short." Tell me about it, Judge.

Toronto's Turn for Redemption

Now, the Jays aren't exactly cruising, I'm not gonna lie. They haven't been above .500 since April 3 and they've dropped eight of their last 13 games. They're sitting 9 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. So yeah, they've got work to do. But remember last year? Toronto outplayed the Yankees and even snagged the AL East title with the head-to-head tiebreaker. They won 8 of the 13 matchups, including six of seven at home when they clawed back from an eight-game deficit. And who could forget Schneider's epic "start spreading the news" celebration after eliminating the Yankees in the ALDS? That's the kind of history that fuels a rivalry. On the bright side, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is heating up, homering and getting his third multi-hit game since April 29, where he was hitting .358. And Daulton Varsho? He's been crushing it, going 17-for-55 with an RBI triple in his last 15 games, including that game-ending grand slam against the Rays last Wednesday. These guys know how to bring the heat. Tonight marks the first of a four-game series, and the stage is set. Patrick Corbin (1-1, 3.93 ERA) is on the bump for the Jays, coming off a tough outing where he gave up three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings to the Rays. He's 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA in seven career starts against the Yankees, so he knows how to handle them. For New York, it's Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.00), making his second start back from an illness. He threw a no-hitter into the seventh against Baltimore after that, so he's clearly feeling good. This series isn't about two teams trying to find their footing; it's about old wounds and who wants that top spot in the AL East more. Can the Jays finally get some consistency and remind the Yanks who's boss, or will New York finally shake off their road trip woes? You know I'll be watching every pitch!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.