Ever since getting over the tougher stretch in early August, the Toronto Blue Jays have been on a roll and have successfully defended their status as the AL East division leader, while topping the American League with the best win-loss record. So long as Toronto continues to find ways to win, the daunting September schedule shouldn’t stump its way to the playoffs.
That said, September isn’t the easiest month for the Blue Jays as they face their AL East rivals multiple times.
Historically, Toronto has a win-loss record of 1,634-1,757 against the AL East, indicating the level of challenges within the division. Below are key dates to keep an eye out for as Toronto prepares to face the tougher AL East division once again:
Toronto Blue Jays at the New York Yankees (September 5-7)
Since the trade deadline on July 31, the New York Yankees have been on the path of a freefall, despite their blockbuster trade deadline additions. The Yankees lost a game against the Miami Marlins on August 1st by the score of 12-13 with contributions from their trade deadline acquisitions, including David Bednar, Jake Bird, José Caballero and Camilo Doval.
However, New York is still in possession of the third Wild Card spot in the American League and is fighting to defend that position. The goal for this team would be advancing up to the second or first Wild Card spot by creating a red-hot streak of its own. With that context, this series will become even more crucial for the Yankees. From the Blue Jays’ perspective, this series is important as well, given the history of this particular rivalry.
Winning as many games will give Toronto more advantage in October, and winning against their prime division rival will help hold their AL East division lead. This last series against the Yankees, in that sense, will either help establish Toronto’s dominance or show New York’s resilience.
Who is winning the season series?
The Blue Jays are up 7-3 against the Yankees this season and hold the tie-breaker.
All three of our starting outfielders yesterday reached base at least four times and homered 🤯
It’s the first time in the Modern Era that a team’s starting outfielders did that in the same game!
H/T @OptaSTATS pic.twitter.com/mpjN3OQ1pS
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 17, 2025
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Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays (September 12-14)
The Baltimore Orioles have been a major disappointment after high expectations for a team with young stars. This was a team that topped the tough AL East in 2023 and 2024, but with many injuries (mostly to their rotation) and multiple holes in the roster, the Orioles became uncompetitive rather quickly this season and traded many of their stars at the deadline.
When their key players like Colton Coswer and Gunnar Henderson have returned, the team has now become a pesky presence that could spoil any playoff contender’s fortune. The Blue Jays haven’t fared well against the Orioles this year, and this series will give Toronto a chance to redeem itself and come out on top of Baltimore, should they secure a sweep.
However, based on how Toronto has done against Baltimore, a series sweep may be tougher, especially if the Orioles find a way to unlock another level of tormenting their pitching and lineup. This will still be a critical series for the Blue Jays to collect more wins against AL East teams. But it will be harder because Baltimore has nothing to lose and will seek to provide more obstacles to playoff teams. This series shouldn’t change the standings in the AL East drastically, but should the Blue Jays lose or get swept in this series, they may be in a precarious position, especially with their AL East division lead.
Who is winning the season series?
The Blue Jays are down 4-6 against the Orioles this season and don’t hold the tie-breaker, which likely won’t matter unless Baltimore pulls off a miracle to finish the campaign.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (September 15-18)
The Tampa Bay Rays have played the role of the Blue Jays’ nemesis perfectly this season once again. Back when the Rays were much more dominant at the beginning of the season, they completely owned the Blue Jays by virtually sweeping them in all series. Fortunately, Toronto managed to eke out one win, nullifying Tampa’s efforts to take complete ownership of the team.
Many developments have transpired since, and the Rays are no longer competitive in the division or the playoffs. The team has also traded away a few players, like Jose Caballero, Danny Jansen, and Taj Bradley, but also made an addition by acquiring pitcher Griffin Jax from the Minnesota Twins. The Rays have always confounded the Blue Jays, especially with their stalwart pitching.
On May 27, the Blue Jays were two games under .500 (26-28). Since then, they’ve gone 47-23, second best record in MLB.
The Yankees, who were in first place on May 27, have the worst record in the AL East since then (32-37). The Pirates and A’s have better records than New York.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) August 17, 2025
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While the Rays’ pitching staff hasn’t been flawless, they’ve found ways to come out on top of the Blue Jays and successfully prevented them from scoring too many runs. The Rays’ lineup also tortured the Blue Jays’ pitching with its persistently pesky approach. To add insult to injury, this team is still a menace on the basepaths as they come in first around the league in stolen bases.
This will probably be the most unforgiving series the Blue Jays will have to endure, given that they failed to win any games at the Steinbrenner Field this year. This series won’t transform the playoff fate, but it will certainly have some changes to the AL East standings if either team manages to sweep the series.
Who is winning the season series?
The Blue Jays are 1-5 against the Rays this season and don’t hold the tie-breaker, although the Rays are currently outside the playoff picture.
Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays (September 23-25)
The Boston Red Sox have gone on some hot streaks these past few months and are finding ways to win, even after trading away superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. With players like Roman Anthony, Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story on the team, the Red Sox have thrived and lived up to the pre-season expectations.
Boston has propelled itself by securing a 10-game winning streak after the trade deadline and has been the biggest threat to the Blue Jays’ division lead. Currently, the Rex Sox are less than 10 games out of the AL East division lead, but with a couple of series wins or sweeps, the team could easily breathe down on Toronto’s neck in September.
Because of this intense division race, the Blue Jays’ series at home against the Red Sox will be one of the most critical series that could determine their playoff fortune. Even though the Blue Jays have won the season series against the Red Sox a few months ago, the Jays will face a much more refined Red Sox roster that is hungry to take away the division lead crown from Toronto. If the Blue Jays intend to defend their division lead, securing a series win will be the bare minimum, and a series sweep will be ideal. Make no mistake: this will be one of the toughest series in the Blue Jays’ schedule with the level of talent they will have to face
Who is winning the season series?
The Blue Jays are 7-3 against the Red Sox this season and hold the tie-breaker.
The Red Sox have not lost a series at Fenway Park since June 27-29 against the Blue Jays.
7 straight series dubs. pic.twitter.com/ZV7IZsd095
— BallPark Buzz (@BallParkBuzz) August 17, 2025
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Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays (September 26-28)
Facing one’s worst nightmare twice isn’t exactly the best thing for anyone. But unfortunately, for the Blue Jays, that is their reality. After facing the Rays in mid-September, they are set to face the same team to finish the regular season.
Ideally, the Blue Jays would have won all the necessary series they needed to advance to the playoffs and be safe in their AL East division lead. But if they still need to win more games to determine the final playoff picture, this last series of the season will carry more importance from Toronto’s perspective.
The Blue Jays won’t be able to afford to lose the series if the intensity of the playoff race and the AL East division race doesn’t fade. But if Toronto has a comfortable lead that no other AL East teams can touch, then this becomes a throwaway series where the Blue Jays can choose to rest some of their key players. Simply put, the importance of this series will only be determined by how well the Blue Jays fare in early and mid-September.
For now, this series will remain important for a team with the dream of finally winning more than one playoff game in October.
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