The Jays could not have asked for a better script to play out in the AL wild card. While the Red Sox and the Yankees are engaged in their bitter rivalry games, the Jays are sitting at home, resting and waiting for their part to play. With the Yankees and the Red Sox pushing their pitching stars to bring it, the Jays are rising as the largest winners before the ALDS matchup begins. However, the attention of the chaos has been taken over by Alex Cora and his questionable pitching activities.

Buster Olney said, “This wildcard series between the Red Sox and Yankees is playing out in the best possible way for the Toronto Blue Jays. By the end of Game 3, both NYY and BOS will likely exhaust their bullpens, key relievers, and have to deal with pitching puzzles — especially the Red Sox, because of the injury to Lucas Giolito.” What he tries to say is that no matter which team wins, the Jays will face an opponent with a worn-down staff, running on fumes after three continuous nights of high-pressure baseball.

Much of the attention is now on the Red Sox’s manager, who pulled Brayan Bello after just 28 pitches and seven outs in Game 2. When asked, Alex Cora defended his approach by saying: “Yeah, I mean uh it’s it’s a tough lineup, you know, a bunch of lefties. Uh, I thought the at-bats were getting better, you know, with the lefties, and we got a bunch of them in the bullpen, you know, and felt like at that point, kind of like we have to do this. It’s not it doesn’t feel good, you know, because you want the kid to go out there and get his experience and pitch, you know, deep into the game. But, uh, I felt like at that moment we needed to pivot.” However, Cora’s decision quickly drew fire, specifically considering how rested the Red Sox’s bullpen was entering the game.

Now, Chris Rose at JM Baseball replied to Cora by saying, “You’re asking a well-rested pen to get 20 outs in a playoff game. That is exhausting. It felt like, to me, that Cora was managing as though he was down one-nothing instead of up one-nothing in the series.” His co-host Trevor Plouffe also added nuance: “I could see that, but it’s kind of the way he manages in general… Boone stacks the lineup with lefties. He’s got a bunch of lefties in the pen. They’re rested. Why not go and make Boone react? I didn’t mind it. It’s not like the bullpen imploded.” Still, Rose’s warning resonates: asking the Red Sox to secure 20 outs against the Yankees that grind out long at-bats is a high-risk gamble, specifically when the series is tied.

The ripple effect of the Red Sox‘s decision could be massive. Garrett Whitlock threw 47 pitches in Game 2; however, he could not be fully available in the decisive Game 3. That stretches the Red Sox’s bullpen more thin. The Yankees are also draining stars after Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s game-breaking slide into home in Game 2 forced Aaron Boone to go deep into his relievers. Such situations play effectively into the Jays’ hands.

The Jays are now relaxing and analyzing their rivals’ tendencies. The winner of Red Sox-Yankees will have to hop on a late-night flight to play against the Jays. Then that team will make a mandatory workout appearance on Friday, and after that, that team will face a fresh Jays Saturday afternoon. So, the Jays’ largest scope is not just skill — it is time, rest, and preparation.

Now, the Yankees and the Red Sox need to rely on two rookies to carry them through a historic win-or-go-home showdown.

Yankees’ Cam Schlittler and Red Sox’s Connelly Early set to make postseason history in rookie duel

Yankee Stadium is getting ready for the historic Game 3. This is the first time in MLB postseason history that the 2 teams’ starting pitchers enter with 15 and fewer career numbers. For the Yankees, 24-year-old Cam Schlittler takes the field with a 2.96 ERA, 84 strikeouts, and 31 walks across 73 innings in his rookie campaign. However, the Red Sox will throw Connelly Early. The star is making just his fifth MLB start. He has a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in just 19.1 innings, and all logged in September against the Tigers, the Rays, and the Athletics.

While the Yankees starter provides the team a steadier profile with triple the starts of his rival, Early highlights the Red Sox’s gamble on raw skill and short-period success. The 2 pitchers have highlighted flashes of dominance despite their limited experience; however, neither of them has ever faced the opposing lineup. With a berth in the ALDS on the line and the weight of a historic rivalry pressing down, such a showdown between the 2 rookies highlights how October baseball turns on unlikely heroes and untested stars.

The Yankees and Red Sox have found themselves in an unprecedented situation, leaning on rookie arms in the most decisive game of their seasons. While Cam Schlittler brings steadier experience and Connelly Early arrives with a flash of late-season brilliance, both will have to navigate the pressure cooker of October baseball in front of millions. For Boston, Alex Cora’s handling of the rotation has already come under scrutiny, while New York sees opportunity in trusting its young pitcher. No matter which side prevails, the Toronto Blue Jays enter the ALDS as the real winners — rested, prepared, and set to face a rival that will be coming off the emotional high and physical toll of this historic rookie showdown.