Looking back at this season’s Blue Jays–Yankees rivalry, the storyline has mostly favored Toronto. They beat New York 8–5 in the season series and even sent them packing in the ALDS. But while the Jays ruled on the field, the Yankees still made plenty of noise from the broadcast booth. The chatter has gone both ways all year long—and with only one World Series game left, this feud is clearly far from finished.
Now, after Toronto’s chaotic baserunning meltdown in Game 6, an old comment from their own broadcaster, Buck Martinez, has resurfaced and gone viral. Back in September, Martinez said, “The Yankees? They’re not a good team. I don’t care what their record shows. They throw too many wild pitches, commit too many defensive errors, and their baserunning is awful.”
If that sounds eerily similar to what the Blue Jays did tonight, you’re not imagining it. SI’s Joe Randazzo noticed the same uncanny parallel.
Toronto entered Game 6 up 3–2, just one win away from a championship. But things unraveled quickly. A puzzling decision to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani cracked the door open for a three-run Dodgers rally.
Even so, the Jays had a golden opportunity late. Down 3–1 in the ninth, Addison Barger smashed a double, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs.
With the tying run inches away, the Dodgers made an unexpected move. Out went rookie closer Roki Sasaki; in came Tyler Glasnow—who was originally lined up to start Game 7. The gamble paid off immediately. Glasnow induced a pop-up from Ernie Clement, then a routine flyout from Andres Gimenez. And then… disaster struck.
Barger drifted too far off second base, and Kike Hernández caught him in no-man’s-land, ending the game with a crushing double play—a mistake that erased Toronto’s final chance and marked one of their biggest blunders of the season.
Just like that, the Jays saw their championship moment vanish. Worse yet, Buck Martinez’s old jab at the Yankees boomeranged right back at Toronto at the worst possible time.
Back to square one for Game 7
With the World Series now tied, everything comes down to the decisive Game 7. Toronto is handing the ball to their seasoned warrior, Max Scherzer, hoping he can summon one more big-game performance. He started Game 3, allowing three runs over 4⅓ innings—no longer in peak form, but still capable of delivering under pressure, just like he did in the ALCS with 5⅔ strong innings.
There’s even a bit of superstition on Toronto’s side. The last time a World Series went to a Game 7 was in 2019—and who pitched that Game 7 victory? Max Scherzer, leading the Nationals past the Astros. If history wants to repeat itself, the Jays won’t complain.
But to make that happen, Toronto’s bats need to come alive.
Their explosive offense fell completely flat in Game 6, scraping together just one run. Even a veteran like Scherzer can’t win without support. And after Martinez’s old baserunning criticism circled back to bite them, the Jays are hoping his remark about the Yankees’ weak home run production doesn’t become the next ironic twist.
