The New York Yankees have settled their biggest question ahead of the American League Division Series. Manager Aaron Boone confirmed Friday that right-hander Luis Gil will start Game 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at Rogers Centre, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
New York had been weighing Gil against rookie right-hander Will Warren for the assignment, but Boone ultimately went with the reigning 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, citing Gil’s swing-and-miss arsenal and recent success against Toronto. Gil’s only outing against Toronto this season came on Sept. 6, when he allowed one run across six innings while striking out seven in a 3–1 Yankees win at Yankee Stadium.
The 2025 season didn’t start as expected for Gil, as a spring-training lat strain left him stuck on the back burner until Aug. 3. Once activated, he stabilized the rotation with 11 starts, posting a 4–1 record, 3.32 ERA, 41 strikeouts, and 1.40 WHIP. New York went 8–3 in his outings. However, command remained an issue, as Gil issued 33 walks in 57 innings.
According to Baseball Savant, opponents posted an average exit velocity of ~89.5 mph, a hard-hit rate of 35.9%, and a barrel rate of 7.7% against him. FanGraphs projected a full-season ERA closer to 4.34, but in limited work, Gil’s high strikeout ability gave Boone confidence against the Blue Jays' right-handed-heavy lineup.
Gil brings limited postseason experience into Saturday’s start. He made two appearances in last year’s playoffs, including one in the World Series, where he combined for eight innings, 11 hits, six runs, and a 6.75 ERA. His lack of command inflated pitch counts, but Boone has historically leaned toward pitchers with higher ceilings in October matchups.
Boone also outlined the rest of the rotation plan. Max Fried, who went 19–5 with a 2.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 195.1 innings this season, will start Game 2 on Sunday. Boone hinted that the rotation would follow its expected order after the first two games, which points to Carlos Rodon and rookie Cam Schlittler as likely candidates for Games 3 and 4 when the series shifts to Yankee Stadium. Schlittler impressed in Thursday’s Wild Card Series clincher against the Boston Red Sox with a historic performance.
On the other side, Toronto has already announced that Kevin Gausman will take the ball in Game 1. Rogers Centre was a house of horrors for the Yankees this year, where they went just 1–6.
Behind Gil, the Yankees will throw the first punch in Toronto to start the best-of-five, before bringing the battle back to Yankee Stadium on Oct. 7. If necessary, Game 4 would be staged on Oct. 8 in New York, with a potential all-or-nothing Game 5 on Oct. 10 north of the border.
