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COWHERD ON YANKEES–BLUE JAYS GAME 1 (1928 AL WILD CARD)
“This is why the Yankees win playoff games and Toronto watches them win playoff games.”
COLIN:
“Alright, so let’s talk about Game 1. Yankees win it, 12–7. And let me just say this… this looked EXACTLY like the two franchises they’ve been all season.
New York — volatile, dramatic, occasionally messy — but they’ve got higher-level adults in the room. Stars. Guys who’ve been in big spots. They get on a plane, go into another country, weather 49 degrees, 15-mile-an-hour winds, raucous crowd… and they immediately punch you in the mouth.
Five runs in the first inning. That’s a message. That’s a flex. That’s New York saying,
‘We’re the Yankees. We’re not afraid of your building. We’re not afraid of your moment.’
“Sung-hyo Kim is the grown-up in this series.”
Kim was unbelievable. Two home runs, a walk, steals a bag, drives in four.
There’s a difference between talent and big-stage talent.
Kim is big-stage talent.
He’s the guy who walks into Toronto, smells the nerves in the building, and goes,
‘I’ll take it from here, fellas.’
That’s what stars do.
“Toronto feels like the team that buys the nice house… but doesn’t know how to fix the plumbing.”
The Blue Jays are fun. They’re talented. They’ve got guys who can hit the ball into Lake Ontario when the wind’s right.
But here’s the issue:
They’re reactive, not proactive.
The Yankees score five? Toronto panics.
The Yankees tack on again? Toronto forces swings.
Toronto’s pitchers looked rattled from pitch one. K. Tal lasted ONE inning. Seven hits, six earned. Fifty pitches! That’s not a playoff pitcher. That’s a middle reliever you hope you can hide in July.
You can’t win postseason baseball spotting the Yankees half a dozen runs before the beer lines have cleared.
“This is why New York wins the phone booth fights.”
The Yankees don’t win with finesse. This team wins bar fights.
Rivera homers.
Kim homers twice.
Kawazu even had a tough night and it didn’t matter.
Fagundes? Three doubles like he’s taking BP.
The entire lineup had that swagger — that ‘we’ve been here before’ body language.
You can’t fake that.
“Toronto needs this series more than New York does.”
For the Yankees?
Winning a Wild Card Series is an expectation.
For Toronto?
It’s validation.
It’s proof they’re more than a feel-good story that peaked in July.
And in Game 1, it looked like the moment got too big for them.
When your fans are still filing into their seats and the scoreboard already says 5-1?
You’re not ready for primetime.
Cowherd’s Takeaways
Where the Yankees were right:
Stars shine in October.
Experience matters.
Don’t underestimate lineup depth — this team can beat you eight different ways.
Where Toronto was wrong:
Don’t open a playoff game with a pitcher who needs 50 pitches to get three outs.
Don’t expect your crowd to save you.
You can’t chase New York. You have to lead New York.
Final Thought:
“If Game 1 is any indication, New York feels like the team with clarity, identity, and swagger… and Toronto feels like the team hoping things break their way.”
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