The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are battling it out for first place in the AL East, and their rivalry extends into the broadcast booth.
The feud between the two teams’ announcers extends back more than two months, when the Yankees’ long-time YES Network play-by-play man Michael Kay said the Jays “didn’t have the look of a first-place team.”
After Toronto swept New York in a four-game series, SportsNet’s Jamie Campbell took a jab back at Kay, though the situation was later defused.
“They’re not a good team”
Buck Martinez
Now, Blue Jays announcer Buck Martinez has reignited the flame with his searing criticism of the Bronx Bombers during Tuesday’s broadcast.
While the Blue Jays were trailing the Houston Astros 3-1 in the seventh inning, the Yankees were in the middle of a 12-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, which included an unsightly nine-run seventh inning due to a bullpen meltdown.
At that time, Martinez let loose in the booth.
Buck doesn’t hold back
Martinez, who serves as a game analyst for Jays games alongside play-by-play man Dan Shulman, didn’t mince words in his assessment of the AL East’s second-place team.
“The Yankees, they’re not a good team. I don’t care what their record is,” the former MLB catcher and manager said. “They have a lot of wild pitches. They make a lot of mistakes in the field. They don’t run the bases very well. If they don’t hit home runs, they don’t have a chance to win.”
“The Yankees, they’re not a good team. I don’t care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches. They make a lot of mistakes in the field. They don’t run the bases very well.” – Blue Jays commentator Buck Martinez calls down the thunder 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hlnIpP0ygr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 10, 2025
This is far from the first time someone has criticized the Yankees’ defense and baserunning this season, and it likely won’t be the last. Meanwhile, New York’s 47 wild pitches rank 10th in MLB, 19 behind the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers but 18 more than the Blue Jays.
Still, it’s startling to see an opposing broadcaster call out another organization that sharply.
What’s next with these two teams?
Toronto won the season series over the Yankees 9-4, meaning in addition to the three-game lead they hold over New York with 17 games to play, they also boast the tiebreaker in the standings.
Barring a surprising collapse by the Jays, Toronto will win the AL East while the Yankees will earn one of the league’s three Wild Card spots. Any future matchup between these two teams won’t come until the ALDS, at the earliest.
In the meantime, expect Yankees manager Aaron Boone and maybe some of his players to be asked about Martinez’s comments.
