NEW YORK — Forget the preseason prognostications. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the worst-to-first Toronto Blue Jays believe they’re as good as anybody.
Hard to argue after the way they dispatched Aaron Judge and the powerful New York Yankees in their AL Division Series.
And now, manager John Schneider’s pesky Blue Jays bunch is set up pretty nicely for the next playoff round against Detroit or Seattle.
“This is a really special group and we’ve had the confidence to be here since day one. I like our chances and I like the fact that these guys will be recognized for it,” Schneider said.
“I think we more than showed what we can do in this series between all that pitching, defense, everything. The guys in here know what we’re capable of and we don’t really care what anyone else thinks.”
Guerrero and George Springer each drove in a run, and eight Toronto pitchers shut down the Yankees in a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night that sent the surprising Blue Jays to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.
“Maybe some people don’t believe in the team through the year, but I always remind everyone that we have an entire country behind us that believe in us, and hopefully we can get the World Series back to Canada,” Guerrero said through a translator.
AL East champion Toronto, wearing its lucky caps with the white panels, took the best-of-five Division Series 3-1 and will host Game 1 in the best-of-seven ALCS on Sunday against the wild-card Tigers or AL West champion Mariners.
Those teams are set to decide their series Friday in Game 5 at Seattle.
“We knew we were kind of the best team all year,” part-time outfielder and second baseman Davis Schneider said. “Obviously, a lot of people doubted us. Everyone was kind of picking the Yankees to win the series or even the World Series. We’re a great team for a reason. Over the 162 (regular-season games) and into the playoffs, we showed what we can do really well.”
Toronto went 4-3 against Detroit this season and 4-2 versus Seattle.
And while the Tigers and Mariners will use some of their best arms Friday, veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman and rookie Trey Yesavage — the Blue Jays’ top two starters in the ALDS — will be fully rested for the first two games of the ALCS.
“I think with this team, it’s so special that everybody has each other’s back and plays for each other,” reliever Louis Varland said.
No matter who pitches against Toronto, they’ll need to contend with Guerrero and a feisty lineup that consistently fights off tough pitches and puts the ball in play.
Guerrero batted .529 with three homers and nine RBIs in the ALDS, tormenting the Yankees in October in the mold of David Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr. and George Brett decades ago.
“They hit the crap out of the ball. They didn’t miss,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said.
Ernie Clement also had an outstanding series at the plate as the Blue Jays advanced to their eighth ALCS. Toronto’s only pennants came in 1992 and ’93, when the club won consecutive World Series crowns.
A season ago, the Blue Jays finished last in the AL East at 74-88, which was 20 games behind the first-place Yankees, who reached the World Series.
This year, the Blue Jays went 11-6 against New York — including 8-1 in Toronto. The teams tied for the AL East title at 94-68, but the Blue Jays won the division on a head-to-head tiebreaker.
“It just shows you a lot can happen in a year,” Springer said. “For us to respond the way we did this year, I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
AP freelance reporter Larry Fleisher contributed to this report