John Schneider pushes all the right buttons in bullpen game, Blue Jays eliminate Yankees

With a potential Game 5 on the line, Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to call a bullpen game Wednesday night.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone opted to counter the move with a balanced lineup in an effort to make it difficult to find preferred matchups. However, Schneider executed his game plan to perfection.

The skipper exploited the left lanes throughout the night in a collectively dominant pitching effort from the Blue Jays bullpen to send the defending American League champion Yankees home in Game 4 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium.

“Again, we’ve done that,” Schneider said before Game 4. “A lot of teams have done that. There’s no set storyline. I think everyone kind of understands where they fit in their lineup, and things can change quickly. … We started talking about [lanes] probably around 1 p.m. today.

“Again, there’s no perfect science. You’re trying to put guys in the best spots possible. Ultimately, they’ve got to go out and make pitches. They’ve got to go out and execute. The score, the inning, all that kind of stuff comes into play. You’re just trying to find the right spots for that.”

Schneider’s pen allowed just six hits and two runs all night, dominating the highest-scoring team in baseball heading into the playoffs.

Louis Varland opened for the Jays and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before handing it off to Mason Fluharty, as the left-hander was the only left-handed reliever to allow a run – on a solo shot by Ryan McMahon. Fluharty was also one of three lefties used throughout the night, joining Eric Lauer (who pitched 1.2 shutout innings) and Brendon Little, who pitched a scoreless seventh.

Seranthony Dominguez, Yasiel Rodriguez and others were among the right-handers who got in on the action, combining for two scoreless innings.

Braydon Fisher ran into trouble in the eighth inning, allowing two runners to reach before Schneider called on closer Jeff Hoffman for the final four outs. Hoffman got Austin Wells to fly out with the bases loaded to end the eighth.

The final three outs came close and the Jays celebrated on Yankees home field, winning the series in four games.

Now, the Blue Jays will wait for the winner of Game 5 between the Tigers and Mariners to see who they will face in the American League Championship Series.