For the first time, the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are going head-to-head in the playoffs this October. The AL East rivals, who finished with the same exact record (94-68) in the regular season, are facing off in the best-of-five American League Division Series. Game 1 is on Saturday (here’s the full schedule).
The Blue Jays have home-field advantage in the series and earned the AL East title over the Yankees thanks to winning the season series and therefore the tiebreaker. The Jays went 8-5 against the Yankees this year. That sent New York to the Wild Card Series, where the Bronx Bombers rallied after dropping Game 1 of the best-of-three series to eliminate the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Rookie right Cam Schlittler threw an eight-inning gem in the deciding Game 3.
So who will move on to face either the Seattle Mariners or Detroit Tigers in the ALCS? Below are CBS Sports expert picks for Blue Jays-Yankees.
Blue Jays vs. Yankees expert picks
Series odds (via Caesars): Yankees -150, Blue Jays +125
Anderson: I had the Yankees in the World Series coming into the postseason, so naturally I’m taking them here. The same argument I made then applies now, all of three games later: they had the best run differential in the AL during the regular season, and I’m not someone who is convinced they can predict how a group of otherwise accomplished relievers will perform in small samples. None of this is an insult to the Blue Jays; this should be one of the best series of the playoffs. Pick: Yankees in 5
Axisa: Bo Bichette’s achy knee and some injuries on the pitching side make the Blue Jays a bit less formidable now than they were most of the season. The Yankees are as healthy as they’ve been all season, it’s the deepest lineup they’ve had in years, and they seem to have found something that works in the bullpen. It’s advantage Yankees for me right now. Pick: Yankees in 5
McWilliams: I question the Blue Jays’ ability to get through this round with their pitching issues. They lack a true ace, and I believe the Yankees will slug enough to get them through and onto the ALCS. Pick: Yankees in 5
Perry: Toronto has injury concerns in the rotation and of course Bo Bichette may not at his best (or available) for this series. The bye confers a significant advantage, of course, but I can’t get away from the fact that the Yankees during the regular season when it came to run differential and the things that go into it. Pick: Yankees in 5
Snyder: The offenses are going to have a few big innings in this series, and it’ll be so fun. I love the Blue Jays offense, but the Yankees have a bit more firepower and also have an advantage in the rotation, so I’ll take them. Pick: Yankees in 5
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