With the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry seemingly simmered down, the AL East needs something to replace it. After all, it’s hard to imagine baseball’s toughest division going through an entire season quietly. The new premier rivalry in the American League East is between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Both teams are in the same division and are playoff contenders which naturally makes them rivals. However, this new rivalry is spicy. From big moments, player feuds, coaches yelling at each other, in-game controversies, and most recently accusations of cheating. Since baseball has been long searching for a must-see TV rivalry game, they finally have one with New York and Toronto.
Let’s be honest, rivalries in Major League Baseball are mostly between its fan bases. This has been due to those teams not consistently contending at the same time, players being mostly “buddy-buddy” now, and those front office’s signing and trading for rival players regularly. This has resulted in those classic rivalries dying down between the teams and players. However, the new intense rivalry between the Yankees and the Blue Jays fills the void.
Star Power
For a rivalry to exist, there must be star power between both teams. The Yankees and Blue Jays have many stars between them. New York has stars in Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Nestor Cortes, Anthony Rizzo, and more. Toronto also has star players of their own in Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alek Manoah, Matt Chapman, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, and more. All these players have combined for many All-Star caliber appearances and are annual contenders for individual awards at the end of the season.
Feuds Between Opposing Players
In today’s game, the players don’t really feud with each other. It’s not uncommon for them to be seen vacationing or hanging out together in the offseason. However, the new rivalry between the Yankees and the Blue Jays has plenty of bad blood. Pitchers Gerrit Cole and Alek Manoah have a feud that dates to last season when the Blue Jays starter called Cole a cheater. Guerrero Jr. proclaimed that he’d never sign with the Yankees even if he was dead.
Memorable Moments From Last Season
Rivalry games are often filled with memorable moments. There has been no shortage of these between New York and Toronto. Since last season, there have been countless times when players from both teams have taken exception to being hit by a pitch. Other moments include last season when Aaron Judge hit his first walk-off home run off Jays closer Jesse Romano at Yankee Stadium. Vlad Jr. hit a walk-off single against the Yankees in Toronto and then proclaimed the Rogers Centre “my house.” A day later, the Yankees would clinch the 2022 AL East title in Toronto and promptly celebrate in the younger Guerrero’s house. The baseball community won’t forget Aaron Judge tying Roger Maris’ home run record when he hit it off Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza.
Early 2023 Season Memorable Moments
Most recently, manager John Schneider and his staff were barking at the Yankees base coaches over their positioning. Aaron Boone also was yelling at the Blue Jays coaches over positioning as well. Schneider escalated the rivalry between the two teams even more when he allegedly called a Yankee coach a “fat boy.” The Yankees believe it was directed at assistant hitting coach Brad Wilkerson. This past series, the Blue Jays accused Aaron Judge of cheating due to him glancing at his own dugout. Yankees pitcher Domingo German was ejected and suspended for ten games due to using “sticky stuff.”
Also, after being accused of cheating, Judge responded by hitting four home runs and seven RBI. One of his home runs broke parts of a sign in center field. During each hit, Aaron Judge would make gestures at Jays fans by either covering his eyes or pointing at them when he hit a home run. I expect this season to be full of many more memorable moments.
This Is Everything Baseball Needs
With many rivalries becoming just between opposing fans, it’s become hard to see it play out on the field. However, the new rivalry between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays is everything fans want. It features both teams being competitive, star power, feuds, and memorable moments. The Yankees and Blue Jays rivalry is becoming a must-see game in baseball’s newest and juiciest rivalry.
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