Blue Jays showdown with the Yankees a pivotal series to kick off the second half of the season
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This four game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees on the big stage at Rogers Centre, will prove to be pivotal for both teams looking to capture the AL East division.
The Blue Jays three games back of the Yankees in the AL East with the Rays right in between them, 1 1/2 games back.
The Blue Jays and Rays currently represent the top two Wild Card teams, too, so the path to the postseason is going to run through this division like it always does.
The Blue Jays have spent the past month-plus shaking themselves from the magnetic draw of .500. While that's happened, the Leafs crashed out of the NHL playoffs and the Stanley Cup was lifted once again.
The NBA season is a wrap, too. School's out for the summer. The entire Canadian market is sitting right there, waiting for the Blue Jays to be the first segment on every sports talk show, the first conversation at the office at 9 a.m. each morning.
If that's going to happen, it all starts with four games against the Yankees. The series should bring massive crowds, all packed around the Canada Day holiday as the calendar flips to July, the month of the Trade Deadline.
«It's still June going into July, but that's a big series,» manager John Schneider said. «You get four against the team that's leading the division and they're good. They're a tough, tough matchup every single time, no matter who's on the mound. I think this is an important series for a lot of different reasons and it's nice to have Max Scherzer on the mound today.»
«We've just gotten really close. There's no cliques on our team. There's no separation,» said Ernie Clement, one the Blue Jays' surprise stars. «Everybody is pulling in the same direction. We truly care about each other. I think that is a strong bond. That's what the really, really good teams and the great teams do. They play for each other.»
Guerrero is the Blue Jays' most explosive, entertaining player on the field, but the moment he steps off, he's this team's sense of calm.
«To be honest with you, I'm not thinking about the second half,» Guerrero Jr. said through a club interpreter. «The way I see it for myself and my team, we need to take this day to day. For example, if we win tonight, it's over and we need to start thinking about tomorrow. As a team, we're doing that.»
This series against the Yankees represents the beginning of the rest of their story, which is one they'll have a hand in telling.
This may be the most anticipated series of the year for fans so far and with these teams so close in the standings it makes for good theatre.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 30 | 199 ANSWERS Blue Jays showdown with the Yankees a pivotal series to kick off the second half of the season Who will win the four Game series between the Blue Jays and Yankees? | ||
| Toronto Blue Jays | 176 | 88.4 % |
| New York Yankees | 23 | 11.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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