For many years, it was hard to argue the Toronto Blue Jays had anything but ‘little brother syndrome’ to the New York Yankees.

Playing in the same division as the team with 27 World Series titles to their name, the Blue Jays often struggled to compete with the likes of baseball’s giants.

From the Blue Jays’ inception in 1977 through 2024, the Yankees won seven World Series titles and 18 division titles, compared to two World Series wins and six AL East titles for Toronto.

But in 2025 for the first time ever, Toronto had the chance to face off in a playoff series against their divsional rivals, and the Blue Jays looked every bit like the team that had the American League’s best record throughout the season.

By now you know that the Jays finished off New York in four games in the American League Championship Series, giving them an 11-6 record against their rivals this year (including the regular season).

In an offseason media availability Monday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was asked if the Yankees wanted to “be like the Blue Jays,” i.e. a team that prioritizes contact hitting and defence over swinging for the fences.

“I think balance in life is everything. [The Blue Jays] slug the ball too. It’s not just putting balls in play. They definitely slug the ball,” Steinbrenner said, as per MLB.com’s Mike Petriello. “Hitting strikes hard, particularly in the air, not that you’re trying to hit it over the fence, but in the air, statistically speaking, the results speak for themselves, you have a better chance of success when you do that.”

The youngest of four children of legendary late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, the New York exec spoke about what fuelled Toronto’s success this past season.

“You can’t simply be a slugging home-run team. [The Blue Jays] had a great year. I’m curious to see next year how well they do, with that roster, assuming it stays mostly intact, but they’re a great team,” Steinbrenner continued. “They definitely played better than us, they slugged better than us, they hit the ball and put it in play better than us, and they pitched better than us, and that’s why they won.”

Steinbrenner also addressed the team’s 2024 acquistion of two-time All-Star Jazz Chisholm as a method to make their team “more balanced.”

The Blue Jays and Yankees next renew hostilities in New York, with a four-game series scheduled for May 18 to 21 in 2026. One can only imagine Mr. Steinbrenner and the rest of the Yankees staff will be keeping the closest of eyes on that one.

Lead photo by

Jessica Alcheh/Imagn Images