New York @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 28, 2010 ) NY Yankees 6, Toronto 1

With Cito Gaston celebrating his final home game as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, the rival New York Yankees have given him a modest farewell gift.

Javier Vazquez will start in place of Andy Pettitte as the Yankees and Blue Jays square off in the rubber match of their three-game set at the Rogers Centre. New York dropped the opener 7-5 but bounced back to win 6-1 on Tuesday night, clinching a post-season berth in the process.

New York remains a half-game back of Tampa Bay in the AL East race, with the Rays finishing their season in Kansas City while the Yankees must take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park beginning Friday night.

With the stress of reaching the playoffs now behind them, the Yankees can focus on setting up their post-season rotation. Part of those preparations include scratching Pettitte, who recently made his return after missing two months with a groin injury.

While Yankees manager Joe Girardi wouldn't say whether Pettitte was banged up or simply needed some rest, it would make sense for the Yankees to give the 38-year-old a chance to be fresh for his first post-season start next week.

Pettitte has been one of New York's best pitchers this season, owning an 11-3 record with a 3.17 ERA. Of greater importance to Gaston and the Blue Jays is his 15-5 career record at the Rogers Centre, one of the best marks of any opposing pitcher in baseball.

Instead, the Jays will face Vazquez (10-9), who has not fared as well against Toronto in his career. The 34-year-old is 5-7 all-time versus the Jays, with a 4.22 ERA over 111 career innings.

Vazquez faced Toronto twice within a 10-day span about a month ago, surrendering six runs over nine combined innings. That included serving up a pair of home runs – and if he surrenders one Wednesday night, he'll be in the record books.

The Blue Jays enter the game having equaled the franchise mark of 244 homers in a season. Travis Snider drew the 2010 Jays level with their record-setting counterparts from the 2000 season, belting a solo home run to account for the Jays' lone offense against Yankees ace CC Sabathia and closer Mariano Rivera.

Toronto would like to set the record at home, where the team leads the majors in home runs by a wide margin. The Jays are led by an out-of-nowhere performance from Jose Bautista, who leads the league with 52 home runs – 36 more than his previous career best.

A 245th home run would be a fitting Toronto sendoff for Gaston, who will not return as manager in 2011. Gaston has led Toronto to respectability in his 1 1/2 seasons back at the helm, with the Jays having secured a .500 record in a season where many experts picked them to lose 90 or more games.

Gaston, who led the Jays to their only World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, will send Brett Cecil (14-7) to the hill in his Rogers Centre swansong. Cecil has enjoyed a sensational sophomore season, having beaten the Yankees three times already this season.

The 24-year-old is coming off a victory over Baltimore in which he surrendered 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings but limited the Orioles to just three runs.