Aaron Boone gave John Schneider and the Blue Jays respect before their first Yankees matchup since last year's playoff exit.
Boone called Toronto «always formidable» and pointed to the way the club has handled the opening stretch of this season. He also noted the Blue Jays have dealt with a lot of injuries but have still pitched really well.
That part lands because it is coming from the other dugout. The Yankees know exactly what Toronto looked like when the games mattered most a year ago.
This is the first meeting between the teams since the Blue Jays knocked New York out of the postseason last year. That alone gives the series more edge than a normal May set in the Bronx.
Boone's wording also cuts through Toronto's record. The Blue Jays arrive in New York at 21-25, sitting 3rd in the AL East and still looking for traction after an uneven opening stretch.
And yet the Yankees manager still zeroed in on the same thing many around the league have noticed. For all the lineup frustration and roster churn, Toronto's pitching has kept the club from sliding much further. That is an inference based on the Blue Jays' injury losses and Boone's praise.
That injury list is not light. Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, Max Scherzer, Tommy Nance, José Berrios, Yimi Garcia, and Shane Bieber are all on the current injury report in some form.
So when Boone says Toronto has dealt with a lot and still pitched well, it does not sound like empty rival-manager talk. It sounds like a real acknowledgment of how the Blue Jays have kept themselves afloat.
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Aaron Boone knows Toronto is more dangerous than its record
That is the real message here. Boone did not frame the Blue Jays like a wounded team coming in under .500. He framed them like a club that still has enough bite to make this rivalry matter.
The timing matters too. New York opens the series at 28-19, and the Yankees are in a much cleaner spot in the standings than Toronto. But a playoff memory like last year's does not disappear just because the calendar flipped.
Monday's opener is set up as Patrick Corbin against Ryan Weathers, which gives Toronto a chance to test Boone's respect right away.
For Schneider, Boone's quote is the kind of comment players notice. It gives the Blue Jays a reminder that even with the losses, injuries, and rough patches, the team across the field still sees them as a problem.
That is why Boone's message hits. Aaron Boone did not talk about Toronto like a team in trouble. He talked about the Blue Jays like a team the Yankees still have every reason to take seriously.
Does Aaron Boone still view the Blue Jays as a real threat despite their slow start?
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