Yankees manager Aaron Boone discusses facing Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber ahead of game 3 of the ALDS
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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone discusses facing Toronto Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber ahead of game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Shane Bieber has a chance to lead his team to a sweep of the Yankees Tuesday night in the Bronx.
While the Yankees know the pressure is on them to send the series back to Toronto for Game 5, manager Aaron Boone made it a point on Monday to compliment Bieber as well as the Blue Jays organization for adding him at the trade deadline.
Bieber has been a huge addition for Toronto. In the seven games he has started so far, he posted a 3.57 ERA across 40.1 innings of work.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone admits that Bieber was a good deadline pickup for the Blue Jays
«He looks like Bieber to me,» Boone told Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. «I know it was obviously a long road back for him. Good pickup by the Blue Jays being able to get him and being able to insert him into their rotation. He'll be a challenge for us.»
Boone was asked from what he's seen since Bieber has come back from Tommy John surgery how does he compare to when he was last in the playoffs?
"Simialar, ya, I think he's throwing the ball well. His fastball is in a good place, he's going to throw the curveball, the cutter, the slider and now a changeup, It's obviously been a long road back for him, but it will be a challenge for us."
Bieber does have playoff experience at Yankee Stadium. In 2022, he struck out seven batters in 5 2/3 innings for the Cleveland Guardians. That game has helped him prepare mentally for Game 3.
«I'm anticipating a ton of energy, both positive and negative,» Bieber told Matheson. «For me, thankfully I've done it before. But really for me, I put myself in the best position to succeed when I just embrace it. I've tried to learn how to do that, and it's just an incredible opportunity. Like how many people get to say that they've done that?»
As the two teams head to Yankee Stadium for the third game of the series, it could be a bit more of a pitching battle between the two sides in Game 3 as New York looks to keep their playoff hopes alive.
But with Bieber on the mound for the Blue Jays, they have a good opportunity to sweep their rivals and get to the ALCS in the minimal number of games.
If Bieber has it his way, his dominance will lead to the talk of the offseason as the Yankees would be eliminated and expected to make a lot of changes to their roster and coaching staff.
Previously on Blue Jays Central
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 7 | 342 ANSWERS Yankees manager Aaron Boone discusses facing Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber ahead of game 3 of the ALDS Do you think Shane Bieber will get the win at Yankee stadium and sweep New York? | ||
| Yes | 139 | 40.6 % |
| No | 163 | 47.7 % |
| Too early to tell | 40 | 11.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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