Boone fires back at Jays broadcaster: 'He's wrong'

TORONTO -- The New York Yankees touched down successful Canada aboriginal Friday greeting with immoderate bulletin committee worldly up of their AL Division Series showdown against the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Contrary to immoderate thoughts up here, we're a truly bully team," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said successful a quality league Friday.

Boone was referring to a pointed critique that Blue Jays tv colour expert and erstwhile large leaguer Buck Martinez offered connected the Yankees during a crippled betwixt the Blue Jays and Houston Astros connected Sept 9.

The Yankees had taken 2 of 3 games from the Blue Jays the erstwhile weekend. Martinez was unimpressed.

"The Yankees, they're not a bully team," Martinez said. "I don't attraction what their grounds is."

The Yankees went 5-8 against the Blue Jays successful the regular play and conscionable 1-6 successful Toronto. The head-to-head proved important erstwhile some clubs tied atop the AL East with 94 wins and the Blue Jays won the part with the play bid arsenic the tiebreaker.

"I cognize Buck had immoderate thoughts," Boone aboriginal added. "That's each I was responding to. He's wrong. But it doesn't matter. We've got to spell play, and we've got to spell perform, arsenic everyone does this clip of year. We consciousness truly bully astir our team. We're playing well. All that's successful the past now. We've got to play good moving forward."

The archetypal determination for some clubs was deciding their starting pitcher for Game 1 connected Saturday. The Blue Jays chose seasoned right-hander Kevin Gausman. The Yankees picked Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, implicit Will Warren, who volition beryllium disposable retired of the bullpen.

Boone said Max Fried volition commencement Game 2 connected Sunday.

Both Gil and Gausman past started successful their clubs' regular-season finales connected Sept. 28.

Gausman, 34, tallied a 3.59 ERA successful 193 innings crossed 32 starts. He allowed 10 runs connected 17 hits successful 22⅔ innings crossed 4 starts against the Yankees.

"He's the aforesaid feline each azygous day," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "You don't interest astir him getting caught up successful the sound and the worldly that goes with a Game 1."

Gil, 27, missed the archetypal 4 months of the play with a lat wounded earlier signaling a 3.32 ERA successful 11 starts. He faced Toronto connected Sept. 9, holding the Blue Jays to 1 tally connected 3 hits implicit six innings.

"Just consciousness similar he's acceptable for this," Boone said. "He's successful enactment for it. Decided we privation to support Warren an enactment successful the 'pen, and we consciousness similar Luis is acceptable to go."