TORONTO (AP) \u2014 The Toronto Blue Jays capped a turnaround from worst to first by holding off the New York Yankees to win the AL East on the final day of the season, their first division title in a decade and the seventh in team history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe job is not finished,\u201d slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said after a 13-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> that clinched the division crown and secured a bye into the Division Series. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to continue to play hard and play good baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blue Jays finished 74-88 a season ago, last in the AL East and 20 games behind the first-place Yankees.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everybody believed that last year was not who we were as a team,\u201d outfielder George Springer said. \u201cFrom day one of spring training you could kind of feel the vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, a four-game sweep over New York from June 30 to July 3 was part of a season-best 10-game winning streak that vaulted Toronto into the division lead for good.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we kind of hit our stride, we didn\u2019t think anyone could beat us,\u201d manager John Schneider said. \u201cThis is, in my opinion, the toughest division in the game. I don\u2019t think anyone, besides the people that are here soaking wet like me, expected us to be in this position.\u201d<\/p>\n Toronto lost six of seven down the stretch, falling into a first-place tie with New York, but held onto the top spot in the American League by winning its final four games. <\/p>\n \u201cWe almost broke at the end but, from that point on, we didn\u2019t break in the division,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cThat was obviously a huge four games for us.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blue Jays won eight of 13 meetings with the Yankees this season, giving them the tiebreaker after both teams finished 94-68.<\/p>\n Springer hit one of four Blue Jays home runs in Sunday\u2019s rout, his latest drive in a productive season that seemed unlikely in 2024, when the 2017 World Series MVP struggled through one of the worst years of his career, hitting just .220.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about him,\u201d Schneider said of Springer. \u201cFitting that his last at-bat was a home run. He\u2019s the heart and soul of our team. He\u2019s infectious when he plays and he\u2019s infectious in the clubhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n Toronto will face the winner of the best-of-three Wild Card Series between the Red Sox and Yankees in the ALDS, giving the Blue Jays a valuable opportunity to rest and recover while its foes battle in the Bronx this week.<\/p>\n Game 1 will be Saturday in Toronto, and the Blue Jays have home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs after finishing with the top record in the American League.<\/p>\n Arguably no one needs the break more than shortstop Bo Bichette. The two-time AL hits leader and two-time All-Star hasn\u2019t played since Sept. 6, when he injured his left knee in a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of exactly what we needed,\u201d Schneider said of the five-day break before the Division Series. \u201cI hope that (Bichette) gets a chance to contribute to this. He\u2019s been instrumental to what we\u2019ve been doing here the last six years.\u201d<\/p>\n Bichette has been hitting off a tee and throwing but has yet to resume running.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day I\u2019m feeling better,\u201d Bichette said. \u201cI\u2019ll be doing everything that I possibly can to get back.\u201d<\/p>\n Toronto hasn\u2019t won a postseason game since losing the American League Championship Series to Cleveland in 2016. The Blue Jays won wild-card berths in 2020, 2022 and 2023 but were swept by Tampa Bay, Seattle and Minnesota, respectively.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n