Yankees vs. Blue Jays ALDS Game 4 takeaways
Here are three takeaways from the Yankees’ season-ending 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
1. From ‘D’ to ‘E’
The Yankees played spectacular defense in a must-have game . . . until Jazz Chisholm Jr. booted a potential inning-ending double play ball in the seventh inning.
The Yankees were trailing 2-1 when Chisholm made the error on a hard-hit ball by Andres Gimenez on Cam Schlittler’s final pitch of the night to put runners on first and third.
Devin Williams came in and struck out George Springer as Gimenez stole second to put two runners in scoring position.
Nathan Lukes followed with a two-out, two-run single to left to give the Blue Jays a 4-1 advantage. Both runs were unearned.
The Yankees’ defense also betrayed them in the final game of the 2024 season — Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers.
Earlier on Wednesday the Yankees made three outstanding plays. Cody Bellinger made a backhanded sliding catch of a fair ball down the leftfield foul line to save a run and end the first inning; Anthony Volpe made a Derek Jeter-like over-the-shoulder catch on a pop fly to short left in the second; and Ryan McMahon overran a foul pop but caught it with a desperate backward dive near the visiting dugout for the first out of the seventh.
2. Blue Jays write the script with ’pen game
Toronto knew coming into the series that Game 4 was likely to be a bullpen game.
Manager John Schneider dangled the possibility that Trey Yesavage could make a relief appearance after the rookie struck out 11 in 5 1/3 shutout innings in Toronto’s 13-7 victory in Game 2 on Sunday.
But the Blue Jays didn’t need Yesavage, or Game 1 starter Kevin Gausman, who Schneider said was also available.
Opener Louis Varland, who allowed the tying three-run home run to Aaron Judge and the eventual winning home run to Chisholm in the Yankees’ 9-6 victory in Game 3, started the parade of mostly no-name Toronto relievers by throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Schneider used eight pitchers in all as the Blue Jays held the Yankees to six hits. The Yankees also drew six walks (one intentional to Judge) and had a hit batter. But they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position until Judge’s two-out RBI single off the leftfield wall in the ninth made it 5-2. Overall, the Yankees left 10 men on base, including Judge when Bellinger struck out to end the Yankees’ season.
At least Judge won’t have to hear that he is not a clutch postseason performer anymore after he hit .500 combined with a 1.273 OPS in the two series.
But Judge will turn 34 next April 26 and still doesn’t have a World Series ring.
3. Wait ’til next year
Several key Yankees will go into the offseason as free agents, including Williams, Luke Weaver, Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Bellinger, who has a $25 million option with a $5 million buyout that he is likely to decline in search of a multi-year deal.
When it comes to the outfield, the Yankees have to decide if Jasson Dominguez — who was mostly invisible the last few months of the season and didn’t appear in any postseason games until he pinch hit for Volpe with a leadoff double in the ninth — and prospect Spencer Jones (35 homers combined between Double-A and Triple-A) are ready for everyday duty. Otherwise, they would be wise to bring back Bellinger, who they adore.
As for the bullpen, the Yankees still have David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill (team option) under their control for 2026. Williams’ first year in pinstripes was rocky, although he improved down the stretch. Weaver never found his 2024 form and had a 135.00 ERA in three outings in this postseason.
The good news for the Yankees is they will have a potential rotation of Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil with Gerrit Cole hoping for an early-season return after March Tommy John surgery.
The absolute biggest question for the Yankees going into the offseason: Who is Anthony Volpe? After he hit .364 with a home run in the Wild Card Series, Volpe went 1-for-15 in the ALDS with 11 strikeouts. He struck out in six of his final seven at-bats, including all three on Wednesday, before he was mercifully lifted for Dominguez.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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