NEW YORK -- Five months from now, you might find the Blue Jays and Yankees battling it out for a postseason spot. These past four days in the Bronx were the first taste of that fight.

On one side, the Blue Jays had loud, dominant offensive performances, shining a spotlight on their trajectory as one of baseball’s best young teams. On the other hand, they were shut out twice, including Thursday’s 3-0 loss.

The result? A 2-2 series split at Yankee Stadium between two teams headed in the same direction.

“We were in it all the way until the end,” said manager Charlie Montoyo after a double play with the bases loaded ended the series finale. “We had the top of the lineup with the chance to tie it or take the lead. There’s not more I can ask for than that. This was a good game.”

Coming down off the high of their opening weekend in Toronto, this series was a reality check for the Blue Jays. That’s not a critique, just the reality of a 162-game season where a team capable of having a half-dozen All-Stars won’t always look like a well-oiled machine chugging at 200 mph.

As the Blue Jays pile onto their charter flight home and try to get to bed before sunrise in Toronto, here’s a look at what we’ve learned this week in New York:

The AL East is for heavyweights
Blue Jays vs. Yankees will always be one pitch away from fireworks, due to each side having some of the game’s biggest sluggers. There’s some spice to this division rivalry, too, which will come more naturally now that each side has sky-high expectations.

Luis Severino got those tensions bubbling early when he plunked Lourdes Gurriel Jr. high on his left hand, close to his head. Alek Manoah, the mountain of a man with the passion to match, shared his thoughts with Severino from the Blue Jays’ dugout railing.

Wednesday’s 6-4 win for the Blue Jays was the blueprint for how this rivalry will go all season long. On one side, Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo went back to back, leaving Yankee Stadium rocking. On the other side, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched three home runs, two of which came after he bloodied his right ring finger when he got spiked at first base. These will be big-time games decided by superstars.

First look at the real Gausman
Kevin Gausman didn’t necessarily struggle in his first outing of the season, but Thursday night in New York was a far better look at the right-hander who the Blue Jays handed $110 million over five years. Gausman gave Toronto 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball while allowing six hits, and he did that with the Blue Jays playing some uncharacteristically poor defense behind him.

With nine strikeouts and zero walks, Gausman also flashed the brilliant splitter that’s become one of the best pitches in baseball. On 24 splitters, Gausman forced an incredible 22 swings, 13 of which (54%) were whiffs. Catcher Alejandro Kirk looked comfortable behind the plate, too, where he’s built low to the ground, a helpful trait as when dealing with a nosediving splitter.

“I feel like I’m right where I need to be,” Gausman said. “The closer we can get to 100 [pitches], the more we can give those guys a break out there [in the bullpen].”

In 2021 with the Giants, Gausman pitched to a 2.81 ERA over 192 innings. That’s elite starting pitching, and if he can give the Blue Jays something in that same neighborhood this season, Toronto’s rotation has a shot at being one of the best in the American League. On Thursday, you saw just how lethal Gausman’s splitter can be against a power-hitting lineup that’s loading up to launch -- only to swing over the top of it.

Injuries challenging the Blue Jays already
Teoscar ​​Hernández doesn’t get the same airplay as Guerrero, Bo Bichette or George Springer, but ​​Hernández landing on the injured list with a left oblique strain is a massive loss for the Blue Jays. He was off to a hot start and was coming off back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards, but this ailment will keep him down for at least 10 days.

• Injuries & Moves: Teoscar hurts side, due for MRI

Hernández missed the minimum amount of time with a left oblique strain in 2020, but few injuries are more difficult to assess with a timeline. With Danny Jansen also down with a left oblique injury and Matt Chapman resting, Toronto played Thursday with a lineup that featured Raimel Tapia batting fifth. That’s not how it was drawn up entering the season.

The Blue Jays still have enough offensive firepower to blow out a team on any given night, but there will be nights like Thursday where they’ll need to move runners, scrape a few across and get contributions from Tapia, Bradley Zimmer and others who are now being thrust into larger roles.