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Tigers or Mariners: who should the Blue Jays face?

As you know, the Toronto Blue Jays are awaiting their opponent for the American League Championship Series, who will be participating for the first time since 2016 following a four-game victory over the New York Yankees in the Division Series.

On the other side of the bracket, the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners find themselves on the brink of their duel, with the winner going on to face the Jays to be determined tonight (Friday).

But who should the Toronto team hope to face? Of course, no one in the organization will say it out loud, and who picks the worst, but let’s take a look at the Blue Jays’ potential opponents.

The Blue Jays have faced the Mariners six times in 2025, recording four wins in the process. However, the last time the two teams met was on May 11. So we can’t rely too much on what happened in the regular season.

Since then, Seattle has made acquisitions at the trade deadline to improve its offense and was Major League Baseball’s team of the hour during the month of September.

The starting rotation is perhaps the best in all of MLB, with arms such as Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. With a forward led by Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh, as well as the likes of Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez, to name but a few, Seattle’s offense would put far more pressure on the Blue Jays’ gunners than the Yankees did.

The Mariners also made a big playoff comeback in 2022 against the Blue Jays.

It’s for these reasons that Toronto will probably be secretly cheering the Tigers on to victory tonight with Tarik Skubal on the mound.

Because, with the exception of Game 4 of their Division Series, the Tigers’ offense has struggled to generate runs and have instead turned to opportunism to rack up wins. What’s more, the Jays are a team with a low strikeout rate, while Detroit ranks in the top-5 in that regard.

Not to mention the fact that Skubal wouldn’t be available until the third game of the series, and by then Toronto’s offense could be having a field day at home against the Tigers’ shaky rotation.

But don’t take them lightly.

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Phillies mistake: even Bill Buckner didn’t end his club’s playoff run

As you probably know, the Dodgers eliminated the Phillies last night. This means the Phillies have only won one game in the playoffs this season, which is too few.

Even without Zack Wheeler, it’s not enough.

Little by little, Bryce Harper’s window to win a World Series is closing. Much like Aaron Judge, we wonder if he’ll ever be able to get a ring.

And inevitably, Philly is looking for someone to blame. The forward in general is, if you ask me.

By necessity, the Phillies’ manager is under scrutiny. His decision to give an intentional walk to a wasted Shohei Ohtani (even though he’s good, historically, against Johan Duran) didn’t go over well, as it ultimately led to a Dodger run.

But in a 2-1 setback, it was Orion Kerkering’s error that caught the eye. We’ll be talking about that one for a long time.

The guys may have consoled the reliever right afterwards and everyone is well aware that if the offense had done its job, the Phillies would still be alive right now, but….

But it was a basic mistake. It’s the kind of play that’s practiced in practice and that guys should make by instinct. With two outs, you throw to first base – especially when your catcher reminds you.

What you need to know is that this is the first time in history that a series has ended on an error.

Jayson Stark, who spoke about it, recalls that Bill Buckner’s error, legendary as it was, was in Game #6 of the 1986 World Series. He didn’t end his club’s series that way, then.

For sure, Kerkering will blame himself a lot and he admitted it himself in front of the media. It’s only natural. But his challenge going forward will be to be able to put it behind him and come back strong in 2026.

Easier said than done, I know… but hey. After all, it was a horrible mistake.

PMLB
  • Dave Roberts feels sad for Kerkering.

  • The umpire apologized to Cristopher Sanchez for a missed call in the seventh, which led to a run a few minutes later.

  • Nasty shot.

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Cubs force final game against Brewers

Game 4 of the Brewers-Cubs divisional series took place tonight.

The Cubs’ goal? To stay alive and force an ultimate game on Saturday night. As for the Brewers, they wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible to join the Dodgers in the championship series. That series, in the Nationals, starts next Monday.

And at the start of the game, it was the Cubs who were hungrier. After trailing 0-2 in the series, they weren’t about to let up.

In the first inning, Ian Happ took advantage of the fact that there was traffic on the paths to make it 3-0 via an important long ball. It quickly set the tone for the game, let’s say.

There was some goal traffic afterwards on both sides, but the teams did their jobs (defensively speaking) to keep the score intact for as long as possible.

But it couldn’t last. In the sixth inning, Matt Shaw made it 4-0… before Kyle Tucker, in the next inning, slammed a solo home run to make it 5-0.

The Cubs added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning (Michael Busch home run), but it made no difference: the Brewers had already lost the game. And on Saturday night, there will be a final game in Wisconsin.

If manager Craig Counsell were to beat his old club in Milwaukee, he’d be even more the #1 enemy in town.

PMLB
  • Good listening.

  • The schedule for the next few days.

  • No big changes in sight in San Diego.

  • We can’t wait to see this.

  • His business is going well.

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Passion MLB – The Podcast, Episode 84

Sébastien Berrouard and Charles-Alexis Brisebois take an in-depth look at the series between the Blue Jays and the Yankees, and at what lies ahead for the Toronto club in the final four.

Enjoy.

We remind you that people who want to listen to us live can do so every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Facebook, on X and on YouTube… but in the playoffs, the dates may vary depending on the schedule. We record live to answer everyone’s questions.

However, those who want to listen to us in a more traditional podcast format can also do so by visiting all the good podcast platforms at any time.

SpotifyYouTubeApple PodcastAmazon Music

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Dodgers eliminate Phillies in eleven innings

For the second day in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies had the tough task of staying alive against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were losing 2-1 in their National League Division Series.

For the occasion, the representatives of the City of Brotherly Love sent Christopher Sanchez to the mound, while Los Angeles did the same with Tyler Glasnow.

And to say the least, both protagonists got the job done, with Sanchez and Glasnow pitching at least six complete innings.

The tie was then broken by Nick Castellanos’ timely double that scored Max Kepler in the top of the seventh. But for a long time.

Indeed, in the next half inning, Mookie Betts set the record straight, courtesy of a bases-loaded walk.

The stalemate persisted until the bottom of the eleventh inning, when Andy Pages hit a weak drive to reliever Orion Kerkering with the bases loaded.

The Dodgers are off to the National League Championship Series and will await the outcome of the showdown between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday night.

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Championship series: Bo Bichette suggests he’ll be ready

Recently, Bo Bichette started running again. That’s obviously a good sign.

But does it mean that the Blue Jays hitter will definitely be ready for Sunday, when the Blue Jays must provide MLB with their 26-man roster?

That’s the question on everyone’s mind.

Of course, the main interested party is implying that he’ll be ready for the championship series. But he certainly wasn’t going to say the opposite publicly either, you know.

If Bichette were to be ready, you have to wonder which player would make the cut. It’s logical to think it could be Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who is the latest addition.

And in the everyday line-up?

If he’s the DH, it could push George Springer back into the field. And if he’s at his natural position, it could push Addison Barger back into the outfield. In either case, Anthony Santander would be the one to take the loss as a starter, in order to have him as an alternate hitter.

But that remains to be seen. After all, so as not to have too many DHs in the line-up and so that defensive versatility isn’t affected, perhaps Santander could be left out of the 26-man roster altogether…

The Blue Jays will also have to decide what to do on the mound. Will Chris Bassitt, who had a bad back, be able to return? I fully expect to see him in the line-up against Seattle or Detroit as the fourth starter.

As for Max Scherzer, we’ll see. But let’s just say I have my doubts: I’m not sure the club wants him in the playoff lineup.

PMLB
  • Sad news.

  • Two batting coaches: never again for Eric Chavez.

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Difficult series: Dave Roberts criticizes Shohei Ohtani

Tonight, the Dodgers will once again have the opportunity to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies. The defending champions won the first two games of the series, but missed the opportunity to advance to the Championship Series last night.

And when you look at what happened yesterday, you notice that Shohei Ohtani was blanked in five at-bats. Talk about a tough night for a player who generally has a tough series.

Against the Phillies, he had just one hit in 12 at-bats, including seven strikeouts on three pitches. And that’s certainly not just because he’s also pitching in the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/YahooSports/status/1976128018608247220

Clearly, then, Ohtani seems to have lost his bearings with the bat. And it’s interesting that last night, after the game, Dave Roberts was asked about his superstar.

And instead of defending him, he criticized his batting decision-making.

https://twitter.com/ByJackHarris/status/1976154855216738482

In Roberts’ eyes, Ohtani doesn’t make good decisions about the pitches he chooses to hit. As a result, he’s not putting himself in a position to hit pitches that are errors, and he’s not doing any damage.

The Phillies have figured it out: if they find a way to throw low pitches in the zone, Ohtani rips some.

https://twitter.com/RobTornoe/status/1976369385863532710

This is the second year in a row that Ohtani has come out on top in the playoffs. Last year, despite his team’s victory in the World Series, the Japanese had a very tough time of it, including a poor performance in the World Series (where he was injured).

He hasn’t been naughty on the mound in his outings this year, but more is expected from a player who has hit 54 and 55 home runs in his last two years.

We’ll see if Roberts’ words can whip Ohtani out of his fall slump.

Because sooner or later, the Dodgers will need him at bat, not just on the mound.

PMLB
  • Tanner Scott is injured.

  • Was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s family bothered by Yankees fans?

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MLB in brief: Derek Jeter’s point of view | Jazz Chisholm Jr. haunted

Derek Jeter’s point of view

He must not like being reminded that the Yankees lost on the air.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. haunted

His mistake hurts.

Freddy Peralta versus Matthew Boyd

It will be the duel tonight.

Home games

The Blue Jays will have fans in Seattle or Detroit.

Change in Houston

The Astros’ hitting coach is gone.

How did the Tigers do?

Good question.

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Blue Jays: the three-headed monster of the playoffs

The Blue Jays, in four playoff games, have scored 34 points. No club has done better since the start of the playoffs – even those who have played seven games so far.

In four games, that’s a historic mark overall.

Nobody has nine home runs since the start of the playoffs either. No club that has played four games has fewer than the Blue Jays’ 24 strikeouts offensively – no one has fewer than 20 in three games, in fact.

A collective batting line of .338/.373/.601 for the club: nobody comes close to that.

I could go on and on like this, but my point is this: all 12 hitters used by the club (Tyler Heineman didn’t play, himself) got their hands dirty.

Here’s what it looks like.

MLB

We all know that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went absolutely nuts during the series, but he wasn’t the only one. Several guys (hello, Nathan Lukes) also had their moments of glory for the Blue Jays.

But we also have to talk about the other two members of the three-headed monster: Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho. I’m talking about an offensive monster, which doesn’t include Trey Yesavage.

In the absence of Bo Bichette, Clement and Varsho enabled the Blue Jays to be the only team to qualify for the championship series on Wednesday via their fine performances.

In particular, Varsho was excellent in Game #2 (in the series as a whole, he has five homers… more than Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) and Clement excelled in New York. Ask Yankees fans if he was tiring at bat: he wasn’t retirable on three strikes.

Junior was the victim of a single K (on a third strike, which was a ball) and Clement didn’t bat once. A far cry from Anthony Volpe, let’s say.

Will the guys keep up the pace in what promises to be a less emotional championship series? Will George Springer stand up more often? Will Bichette be back? To be seen in due course.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrates with David Ortiz and takes on the Yankees

The New York Yankees saw their season come to an end last night (Wednesday) in Game Four of the American League Division Series, as defense and lack of power were lacking in a game that ended 5-2.

This means that the Blue Jays are off to the Championship Series for the first time in nine years. And let’s just say the Torontonians celebrated in style, starting with the man who hit a home run in the first three games and produced another in the last, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

After the game, Vladdy did his best to hold back tears on the field at Yankee Stadium before going to the locker room to celebrate and joining the Fox Sports MLB team for a post-game interview.

And at that point, the main man teamed up with David Ortiz to take a swipe at two Yankee legends, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, with several heartfelt “DAAAAAA YANKEES LOSEs”. Ortiz of course loved it and repeated after him. The two then did it in unison once more, much to the chagrin of Jeter and A-Rod.

Guerrero Jr. wasn’t the only one to take a swipe at the Bombardiers after the game, with Blue Jays players playing Frank Sinatra’s traditional New York, New York at the top of their lungs in the locker room during the celebrations.

Still, pretty arrogant for a club that still hasn’t accomplished anything and won a first playoff game since 2016 just Saturday.

The Blue Jays will host game one of the American League Championship Series on Sunday night against either the Detroit Tigers or the Seattle Mariners.

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