Honestly, if you turned off the TV in the third inning of Game 3 of the 2025 ALDS, nobody could blame you.
The New York Yankees looked dead. Buried. Done. It was October 7, 2025, and the Toronto Blue Jays were absolutely carving them up in the Bronx. Toronto had already taken the first two games of the series in dominant fashion, and by the top of the third, they were leading 6-1.
The stadium was quiet. That "winter abyss" feeling—the one Yankees fans know all too well after years of playoff heartbreak—was settling in over the bleachers.
Then Aaron Judge walked to the plate.
The Judge Blast That Saved the Season
It’s weird how one swing can change the entire physics of a building. Facing Louis Varland in the fourth, Judge finally got the pitch he’d been looking for: an inside fastball that he didn't just hit; he vaporized it. The ball screamed off the left-field foul pole.
Tie game. 6-6.
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Suddenly, the Yankees weren't just alive; they were dangerous.
You’ve got to remember the context here. The Yankees' bullpen had been a disaster for the first two games, leaking 14 runs like a rusty pipe. But in Yankees vs Blue Jays Game 3, something clicked. After the initial Toronto surge, Tim Hill and David Bednar combined with a parade of relievers to throw 5.1 scoreless innings.
Bednar, specifically, looked like he was pitching in a different league. He was using a splitter he’d apparently refined under the guidance of Hideo Nomo during his time in San Diego. It was nasty.
Chisholm and the Bronx Surge
By the fifth inning, the momentum had completely flipped. Jazz Chisholm Jr. stepped up and launched a solo shot that gave New York their first lead of the night. It ended up being a 9-6 victory, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 4.
The stats from that night are actually kind of hilarious when you look at the box score:
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- Aaron Judge: 3 hits, including the game-tying 3-run HR.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: He actually homered for the third straight game in the loss. The guy was a one-man wrecking crew for Toronto the entire series.
- Ernie Clement: Basically became a Yankee-killer overnight, racking up hits at a .643 clip throughout the series.
What most people forget is that this win was actually one of the largest comeback victories in Yankees postseason history. Erasing a five-run deficit in an elimination game? That doesn't happen often.
Why the Blue Jays Still Had the Last Laugh
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for the Pinstripe faithful, but while Game 3 was a legendary "I was there" moment, it didn't save the season.
The Blue Jays were just too deep.
In Game 4, the very next night, Toronto’s pitching staff—led by eight different arms—shut the door. They won 5-2, clinching the series 3-1 and heading to their first ALCS in nine years.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ended up being named the ALCS MVP later that month, which tells you everything you need to know about the tear he was on. Even though the Yankees found a hero in Judge for one night, they couldn't find a way to stop Vladdy.
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Looking Ahead to the 2026 Rematch
If you're looking for the next chapter in this rivalry, you don't have to wait for October. The 2026 schedule is already out, and these two are going to be seeing a lot of each other very soon.
Basically, the "Game 3" vibes are going to be renewed in spring training first. The Yankees and Blue Jays are scheduled to meet on February 24, 2026, in Dunedin, Florida. It’s obviously not the same stakes as an ALDS elimination game, but after the way 2025 ended, expect some "polite" tension.
The real meat of the 2026 regular season for these two doesn't hit until late summer. They’ve got a massive three-game set at Yankee Stadium from August 21-23.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're planning to follow the 2026 season, here is what you need to keep an eye on to see if the Yankees have actually learned from that ALDS exit:
- Watch the Bullpen Depth: The Yankees lost the series because their bullpen couldn't hold leads in Games 1 and 2. See if their mid-season trades in 2026 focus on high-leverage arms or if they're still over-reliant on a few stars.
- The Vladdy Factor: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in his prime. Until the Yankees find a pitcher who can consistently change his eye level, he’s going to keep hitting 450-foot bombs in the Bronx.
- Mark the Calendar: August 21, 2026. That’s the first time Toronto returns to the Bronx for a multi-game series in the second half of the season. It will be the ultimate litmus test for the New York pitching staff.
The 9-6 comeback in Game 3 was a masterpiece of "never say die" baseball, but in the end, it was just a spectacular footnote in a series Toronto deserved to win.