The New York Yankees came into Tuesday night facing elimination after dropping the first two games of the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, and things were looking bleak when Toronto took a 6-1 lead in the third inning.
However, the Yankees had other ideas. A monster Aaron Judge home run kickstarted a comeback as the Yankees took Game 3 9-6 in New York and extended their season to a Game 4 on Wednesday. Now, Blue Jays manager has some tough decisions to make.
Toronto has already thrown its top three starting pitchers in this series, and many people assumed Game 4 would be a bullpen game for the Jays. However, Schneider is still undecided who will pitch on Wednesday and won't decide until the morning of the game, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
“John Schneider says that the Blue Jays will talk through their pitching plans for tomorrow — and likely tell us tomorrow,” Matheson reported on X, formerly Twitter. “He says everyone will be available.”
Schneider didn't use a lot of his high-leverage relievers on Tuesday after the Yankees took the lead, so he would have a number of them ready to go on full rest if he does opt for a bullpen game in Game 4. However, he could also choose to throw ace Kevin Gausman, the Game 1 starter, on short rest in an attempt to close out the series here and now.
Rookie starter Trey Yesavage would also be available on short rest tomorrow, or Schneider could choose to rest him and have him available on full rest in a potential Game 5. The rookie is pitching with plenty of confidence after a hitless outing with 11 strikeouts in Game 2, so it will be fascinating to see if he takes the mound on Wednesday.
The Yankees will have their own rookie, Cam Schlittler, going in Game 4 on Wednesday. Schlittler became a Yankees playoff legend with his excellent outing in Game 3 against the Red Sox in the wild card round, and they may need a similar performance in Game 4 of the Division Series.
