"After a grueling 162 game regular season that went down to the wire, the Toronto Blue Jays earned themselves a division title and got rewarded with a five day layoff before they begin their postseason run. As champions of the AL East and the owners of the American Leagues best record, the Blue Jays have to wait for someone to win the Wild Card series before they know who they will be playing in the American League Division Series."
"It's something this team hasn't experienced before. While this iteration of the expanded playoff format is still relatively knew, Toronto has never had a first-round bye. Although technically, their last division championship in 2015 came with the caveat that they did not have to win a one-and-done Wild Card game. Regardless, in every postseason since then, the Blue Jays have had to get through either a Wild Card game themselves (in 2016) or play in the Wild Card series (2020, 2022, 2023)."
"They came up short in those latter three attempts and so a chance to skip right by the dreaded best-two-out-of-three format is welcomed news for many on the current roster who have bad memories of a 2022 late game collapse and a 2023 questionable managerial decision. They can erase those memories with a good showing in the ALDS and regardless of who comes through their side of the bracket, Toronto should be going into the series feeling optimistically confident."
The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the AL East after a 162-game season and received a five-day layoff before the postseason. As the American League's best record holders, the team must wait for a Wild Card series winner to determine their ALDS opponent. The franchise has never had a first-round bye under the expanded playoff format and previously faced wild-card games or series in multiple postseasons. Current roster members welcome skipping the best-of-three Wild Card series after recent late-game collapses and questionable decisions. The Blue Jays will face either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, teams they went 8-5 against during the season.
Read at Jays Journal
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