NEW YORK — After taking down the storied New York Yankees in their own ballpark, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ready to revel in the triumph.
“Start spreading the news!” Schneider exclaimed Wednesday night while popping a bottle of bubbly to set off a jubilant celebration inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
With the party underway, those familiar lyrics from Frank Sinatra’s version of “New York, New York” — the Yankees’ longtime victory anthem — sounded in the background as roaring Toronto players sprayed each other with booze in the Bronx.
This time, it was their time.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer each drove in a run, and eight pitchers for the top-seeded Blue Jays shut down the fourth-seeded Yankees in a 5-2 victory that sent the Canadian MLB franchise to the American League Championship Series for the first time in nine years.