The Red Sox and Yankees are currently battling for the chance to face the Blue Jays in the ALDS. However, if it’s the Yankees who move on, the matchup carries extra weight. Why? Just remember their rivalry this year and you’ll understand.

Toronto handled New York well during the regular season, even pulling off a sweep in one series. And so there’s already plenty of intrigue. But what’s making headlines now is the Yankees’ decision to limit ticket sales to people in New York and a few neighboring states. That move conveniently leaves out Massachusetts and Vermont. Both of these border New York and, of course, Canada, where most Blue Jays fans are based.

However, reportedly, if the Yankees do end up playing the Jays, it won’t just be Toronto fans who are shut out from snagging tickets to those road games. “Jays are also employing a similar strategy to keep tickets in the hands of Canadian fans,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

So, whoever wins the Yankees-Red Sox series will head to Toronto this weekend for the first two games of the best-of-five ALDS. And taking the battle with the Yankees a notch higher, the Blue Jays are sticking with the same ticket policy they used in the regular season. Sales are limited to Canadian billing addresses to make sure tickets stay in the hands of their fans.

So, call it a bit of tit for tat, but the Yankees have their own restrictions in place. The result? If it’s a Yankees-Blue Jays matchup, don’t expect to see many Jays fans at Yankee Stadium or many Yankees fans at Rogers Centre. But if Boston knocks out New York, everything changes. Canadian fans, and really anyone, will be free to buy tickets for a potential Jays-Red Sox series at Fenway Park.

The Yankees-Blue Jays rivalry is on a different level this year 

Well, if you have caught Yankees-Blue Jays action in the regular season, you know how it went beyond the foul line.

If you remember, last Tuesday, Jays’ George Springer let out some frustration. The umpire called his bases-loaded hit against the Red Sox a foul ball, even though the replay made it look fair. From the dugout, he seemed to vent toward the Yankees. He said something along the lines of, “If they want New York to win, just tell me and give it to them already.”

His comments hinted that the umpires were favoring the Yankees in the standings at the Jays’ expense. That’s how a beyond-the-foul-line battle looks.

Well, that wasn’t the first spark this season, either. Back in July, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay dismissed Toronto. He said the Blue Jays “aren’t a first-place team” and “not playing great baseball.”. Add it all up, and the rivalry between these two clubs has really heated up in 2024.

Now, with both sides putting ticket restrictions in place, the tension feels even more personal. And if the Yankees and Jays do end up clashing in the ALCS, it’s shaping up to be one of the spiciest matchups we’ve seen in a while.