NEW YORK — Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider made seven pitching changes on Wednesday.

A few hours later, Schneider gave a short speech in the clubhouse and launched the celebration by yelling “Start spreading the news!” while the Blue Jays doused each other with champagne and beer after wrapping up the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees.

Loud music blared, including “Theme from New York, New York,” the song that plays every time the Yankees win a home game, as the Blue Jays partied.

Jeff Hoffman finished off a four-out save as the Blue Jays used eight pitchers in a bullpen game that resulted in a 5-2 win, clinching the best-of-five series in Game 4.

Toronto advances to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016, when it lost in five games to Cleveland. The Blue Jays will host the Seattle Mariners or the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

The Blue Jays outscored the Yankees 34-19 in the first postseason meeting between the AL East rivals. Toronto won 11 of the teams’ 17 meetings this year, including an 8-5 mark in the regular season to get home-field advantage in the playoffs after the teams were tied atop the AL East with 94 wins.

Hoffman allowed a two-out RBI single to Aaron Judge when he was one strike away from ending the game, but he quickly secured the celebration that began on the mound and spilled into a raucous clubhouse when he fanned Cody Bellinger on a splitter — the same pitch that gave the Yankees extensive trouble in Games 1 and 2 in Toronto.

“You’re kind of mapping out best possible scenarios, and the guys have to go do their part,” Schneider said of running through his bullpen in a close-out contest. “Again, it’s not fun, per se, but I think we view it as a good challenge. And our guys have really kind of accepted that this year and done really well with it.”

Hoffman entered in the eighth after Braydon Fisher allowed a two-out hit by Giancarlo Stanton and then walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. The Toronto closer walked pinch hitter Ben Rice to load the bases but needed only one pitch to retire Austin Wells on a flyout to left to quell the threat. — Reuters

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