TORONTO (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of pregame expectations, the Toronto Blue Jays delivered a commanding 10-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday evening in Game 1 of their American League playoff series, seizing an early advantage before a sellout crowd of 44,655 at Rogers Centre.

The game, projected by Interstat’s simulator to be an 8-5 Yankees win, was instead a showcase of Toronto’s offensive firepower and a collapse of New York’s bullpen. The Blue Jays, who had been installed as 1.5-run favorites, easily covered the spread, while the combined 11 runs went over the pregame total of 7.5.

Toronto’s win gives them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Yankees, who finished the regular season with a 96-70 record, now face a critical Game 2 on Sunday. The Blue Jays improved to 95-68.

What began as a tight pitchers’ duel quickly unraveled for New York in the late innings. The Yankees’ lone run came in the sixth, when Anthony Volpe doubled, advanced to third on an Austin Wells single and scored on a bases-loaded walk by Cody Bellinger. That run briefly cut the Toronto lead to 2-1, but the Yankees squandered a chance for more, leaving the bases loaded.

Toronto had built its early lead on solo home runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a solo shot to left field in the first inning, and Alejandro Kirk followed with another to left in the second, staking the Blue Jays to a 2-0 lead against Yankees starter Luis Gil.

Gil, who took the loss to fall to 4-2, was pulled after five innings, having allowed two runs on four hits. The game then slipped away from the Yankees’ relief corps.

The floodgates opened in the seventh inning. With the score still 2-1, relievers Paul Blackburn and Luke Weaver combined to allow six runs. Blackburn was charged with four earned runs over 1 1/3 innings, while Weaver failed to record an out and was responsible for three more runs. A key double by Nathan Lukes cleared the bases, scoring two runs, and a sacrifice fly by Guerrero brought home another, pushing the Toronto lead to 6-1.

The Blue Jays were not done, adding four more runs in the eighth inning to remove any doubt. Kirk led off the frame with his second home run of the game. Back-to-back doubles by Daulton Varsho and Andrés Giménez, followed by an RBI single from Lukes and a sacrifice fly from Ernie Clement, capped the offensive explosion.

Kevin Gausman earned the win for Toronto, improving his record to 11-11. He worked six strong innings, surrendering just one run on five hits while striking out six Yankees batters.

Offensively, Aaron Judge was a bright spot for New York, going 2 for 4 with a double. The Yankees managed only six hits as a team, with Volpe, Wells, Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr. accounting for the others. The Blue Jays, by contrast, racked up 14 hits, with Guerrero, Kirk, Lukes and Giménez each delivering multi-hit performances.

The decisive victory gives Toronto significant momentum heading into the second game of the series. The Yankees will look to even the series Sunday before the matchup shifts to New York for Games 3 and 4.