The playoff bound Toronto Blue Jays host the last place Boston Red Sox Friday in the first game of a three game series. The Blue Jays are 87-69, first in the wildcard race, while the Red Sox are 74-81, last in the AL East. The Blue Jays lead the season series 13-3 and have won the last 6 games between the two teams. First pitch is at 7:07 p.m. ET.
The Toronto Blue Jays look like they have locked up the first wildcard spot in the American League. They are 87-69 on the season, and lead the Rays by 2 games and the Mariners by 2.5 games. They have only 6 games left and this is their final home stand of the season. The Blue Jays come into this series having lost 2 of 3 to the Yankees, including an 8-3 loss on Wednesday, a historic game that saw Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his AL record tying 61st home run of the season.
61 years since 61.
Aaron Judge has written his name alongside Roger Maris in baseball's record books. pic.twitter.com/1V4Gums34C
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 29, 2022
The Jays went with a bullpen game in this one as they start to rest their pitchers for the playoffs. Bo Bichette led the attack with 2 hits while Danny Jensen hit a home run. The Blue Jays magic number is down to 1 game and they will try to lock that down on Friday when they start their ace, Alex Manoah. Manoah is 15-7 on the season with an ERA of 2.31 in 30 starts. He has 176 strikeouts and 49 walks in 190.2 innings. He threw 7 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts in his last start against the Rays. The Blue Jays have a team ERA of 3.94, which ranks 16th in the majors.