Rays fall in finale as Blue Jays win AL East title over Yankees

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 28, 2025

Published in Baseball

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TORONTO — The Tampa Bay Rays made it interesting for a while on Sunday afternoon but were overpowered by the Toronto Blue Jays on their march to the American League East title.

The 13-4 final score and the roaring of the Rogers Centre crowd was befitting of a coronation, as the Jays claimed their first division title since 2015. In doing so, they edged out the New York Yankees, who had the same 94-68 record, by the tiebreaker based on winning the season series.

The Rays finished 77-85, their worst record since 2016, and the second straight year they missed the playoffs after advancing for five consecutive seasons. They also dropped eight games under .500 for the first time since April 2018.

All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero went 1 for 3 but failed to add to his total of 45 home runs, falling one short of matching Carlos Pena’s franchise record set in 2007.

Sunday’s game was close for a stretch. The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Jays scored five off starter Ian Seymour in the bottom of the inning. The Rays then scored three in the third to cut their deficit to 5-4.

But the Jays, who hit four homers on the day, kept adding on.

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