The Toronto Blue Jays can't fully lock up the American League East this weekend, but taking at least two of three games from the New York Yankees would be massive .

Entering the series opener on Friday night, the Blue Jays led the Yankees by three games atop the East. The Boston Red Sox are only 3 1/2 back, so sweeping the Yankees wouldn't inherently put things on ice for the Blue Jays, but their odds would skyrocket either way.

Toronto has dominated the season series to this point, winning seven games out of 10 and guaranteeing itself the tiebreaker against New York if necessary. But the Yankees are suddenly playing their best baseball when it counts.

Any edge the Blue Jays can get is crucial, and one writer has identified one of Toronto's key contributors as an X-factor in this match

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