After disposing of one AL East rival during the Wild Card Series in the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees will look to resign another in the Toronto Blue Jays to a similar fate in the Division Series.
The two clubs tied at 94-68 in the regular season, but Toronto won the division and thus earned the No. 1 seed in the AL by way of a tiebreaker after going 8-5 against the Yankees.
Though New York will step into a hostile environment at the Rogers Centre to begin the ALDS, they should feel pretty confident about their chances in Game One against Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who is in the penultimate season of a five-year deal worth $110 million that he signed ahead of the 2022 campaign, finished with a 3.59 ERA and 4.1 fWAR over 32 outings totaling 193 innings.
Gausman, a two-time All-Star, upheld his status as one of baseball’s most reliable rotation arms. Since joining the Blue Jays, he’s never posted an ERA above 3.83 or thrown less than 174 2/3 innings in a single season.
Jul 1, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Gausman has faced the Yankees 39 times during his career, which comes as no surprise since a vast majority of his playing days have come with the Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. Over that stretch, he has logged a 3.67 ERA with 189 strikeouts in 196 1/3 frames.
He started against New York on four occasions this season and was mostly effective, recording a 3.97 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 22 2/3 innings.
Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) watches his single against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
New York’s position players as a collective own a .841 OPS against Gausman, which is a rather encouraging sign for its prospects in Game One.
Aaron Judge in particular has mashed against the veteran starter, slashing .354/.492/.792 with six home runs and 12 RBIs over 48 at-bats.
Paul Goldschmidt has excelled vs. Gausman as well, boasting a 1.192 OPS through 22 at-bats, while Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon have posted marks of 1.161 and 1.076, respectively, against him.
On the flip side, however, several notable Yankees have struggled when facing Gausman. For example, Cody Bellinger has gone 2-for-25 against him while Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 0-for-13 and Anthony Volpe is 3-for-24.
With the top offense in the league and an overall track record of success vs. Gausman, however, New York would appear to have the leg up on the Blue Jays to kick off the ALDS.