Five Things: Toronto Blue Jays closing in on first AL East Division title since 2015

Toronto Blue Jays players celebrate after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in a Major League Baseball game on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The Toronto Blue Jays are the strong favourite to win the American League East Division title for the first time in a decade.

Canada’s lone Major League Baseball team entered play Tuesday night against Tampa Bay with a record of 88-62. The Blue Jays were five games ahead of the New York Yankees with 12 games to play.

Here’s a look at five storylines as the stretch drive continues:

Numbers game

The Blue Jays have a chance to secure the East title well before their regular-season finale on Sept. 28 against the visiting Rays.

Clinching early would let manager John Schneider give his regulars some rest and allow him to set an ideal starting rotation for the opening playoff round.

Toronto is also aiming to hold on to the top seed in the American League and secure home-field advantage through at least the best-of-seven championship series.

A top-two finish in the AL would give the Blue Jays a bye to the best-of-five division series.

Magic numbers

After Tuesday’s games, the Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch the East Division crown is six.

Any combination of Toronto victories and losses by New York totalling that number would give the Blue Jays the title.

Toronto’s magic number to secure a playoff spot heading into Tuesday’s action was four.

The Blue Jays had a 97.4-per cent chance of winning the division and an 11.2-per cent chance of winning the World Series, per FanGraphs odds on Tuesday afternoon.

Down the stretch

Once the series with Tampa Bay wraps on Thursday afternoon, the Blue Jays will close out their road schedule with a three-game weekend series against Kansas City.

The Rays and Royals have fallen well back in the AL wild-card race, although neither team has been mathematically eliminated from post-season contention.

After an off-day Monday, Toronto will kick off its final homestand Sept. 23 against Boston. The Red Sox are a good bet to earn one of the three AL wild-card berths.

Toronto and Tampa Bay will close out the campaign with a three-game set from Sept. 26-28.

Tough calls

The Blue Jays will have some tough decisions ahead as they look to put the best possible lineup on the field in October.

Slugger Anthony Santander has been playing with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons as he builds up ahead of a potential return to the big-league lineup after missing over three months with a shoulder injury.

Santander was signed to a lucrative five-year deal last winter after a 44-homer season with the Baltimore Orioles.

On the mound, Toronto also has to decide how top prospect Trey Yesavage might fit into their plans. The 22-year-old right-hander was dominant at times in his big-league debut Monday, striking out nine batters over five-plus innings.

Playoff history

The Blue Jays have reached the playoffs three times over the last five years but were swept in the wild-card round on each occasion.

Toronto’s last post-season victory came in 2016 when the team reached the AL Championship Series for the second straight year.

The Blue Jays haven’t been to the World Series since 1993, a year after they won the Fall Classic for the first time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press