The energy inside Rogers Centre told its own story. A thunderous crack off George Springer’s bat sent fans into a frenzy, but the real noise wasn’t just about the scoreboard. It was about what this Blue Jays team is becoming: resilient, battle-tested, and suddenly dangerous. For opponents, the celebration in Toronto felt like a warning disguised as a win.

Xavier Scruggs, the former big leaguer who is now breaking down games from the analyst’s chair, noticed the shift immediately. He argued that it wasn’t just the result that mattered, but the way Toronto fought through it, showing both the grit of their pitchers and the resurgence of their $150 million veteran slugger.

Xavier Scruggs put the performance into perspective. “I’ll tell you why I like this win for the Blue Jays because it was different,” Scruggs explained. He pointed to Shane Bieber’s ability to gut through a shaky start as proof that the rotation is learning to win without perfection. “He had to be at the battle… these are the types of battles where he doesn’t have it early on and still be able to give you quality,” Scruggs said. That, to him, was the mark of a pitcher who could anchor a contender. Scruggs continued, emphasizing that what impressed him most was the resilience. “Somebody that can go down early, say ‘I’m not phased,’ adjust, and put away hitters, that’s what you want to see.”

But the real spark for Toronto comes from the veteran leading the charge. At 35, George Springer is rewriting expectations. The outfielder has mashed his way into contention for one of the finest seasons of his career. With a batting average north of .300, an OPS in the .950 range, and 30 home runs seemingly inevitable, Springer has become the engine behind the Blue Jays’ surge. Scruggs noted, “Whoever said they expected this from George Springer this year, especially after what we saw last year, would be dead lying to you… He’s having a hell of a year, and the rest of the guys are feeding off that.”

Even Blue Jays head coach, John Schneider, joined the chorus of praise for Springer. “George set the tone for sure,” Schneider said, per Mike Petraglia of MLB.com. “There’s been times since he’s been here where it feels like he can kind of put the team on his back a little bit, and he kind of has a track record to do it at this time of year and into the postseason.” To put into context just how much Springer has improved from last year, he was hitting .220 a year ago and had never crossed .267 in his first four seasons with the Blue Jays, but this season he his averaging an incredible .305.

Schneider further added, “So really, really happy with the way he’s playing. Happy for him too, after coming off a tough year last year, the way he’s responded. He’s been the driving force behind what we’re doing this year.” This recent surge has put Springer into elite territory. Looking a the MLB OPS leaderboard, Springer sits third, just behind Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, the two MVP favorites.

And as the Blue Jays gather steam for a deep playoff run, they are coming up against a rejuvenated New York Yankees, who are emerging as a serious contender in the AL East.

Blue Jays, Yankees set for high-stakes clash

When the Blue Jays and Yankees last faced off in mid-July, Toronto managed to solidify its lead in the AL East by taking two out of three games at Rogers Centre. A lot has changed since then. The Yankees, once lagging, have clawed their way back. As the rivals get set to meet again in the Bronx, the gap has shrunk to almost nothing, and New York suddenly looks like the team ready to flip the race on its head.

Momentum is everything in September baseball, and right now, the Yankees have it in spades. They’ve won eight of their last 10, leaning on a rotation that looks refreshed and a bullpen that’s quietly become one of the stingiest in the league since the All-Star break. It’s the kind of stretch that fuels belief in the clubhouse and nerves among opponents.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have found themselves wobbling at the wrong time. Just five wins in their last 10 tells part of the story, but it’s the bullpen meltdowns that sting the most, games slipping away late, leads evaporating, opportunities wasted. That’s the baggage they’ll carry into Yankee Stadium, knowing the stakes are higher now than they were in July. The series arrives at a pivotal time: a swing in either direction could either solidify the Jays’ slim lead or vault the Yankees back into the driver’s seat of the AL East.

George Springer insists his team isn’t adding any extra weight to the matchup. “At this point, every series is big, doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” he told the Toronto Star. But inside the clubhouse, there’s quiet confidence that this is the kind of series that can flip momentum. If Springer keeps fueling the lineup and Toronto’s bullpen steadies, the Jays could turn Yankee Stadium into the very stage where they remind the division who’s still in charge. Rival fans may call it “just another series,” but the standings say otherwise, and that’s where things might really take a turn.