The New York Yankees came into Toronto earlier this week trailing the Blue Jays by just 2.5 games in the AL East. A win and two losses later, they leave town with a steeper hill to climb as time runs out on the regular season, while the Blue Jays have moved tantalizingly close to the team’s first post-season berth in 22 years.
It was the most meaningful September baseball series played in Toronto in more than two decades. A lot of things happened. Here’s a few takeaways.
Blue Jays dominate season series vs. New York
Remember all that talk around the trade deadline about the Blue Jays having 13 games remaining with the first-place Yankees (it’s insane to think about, but New York led the AL East by eight games less than two months ago) and how those contests could make or break their season? Well, Toronto went 9-4 in that bakers’ dozen of games. And it may have truly made the season.
“Really, it’s everything,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of his team’s record against New York. “We’ve played them well. We match up well with these guys. Similar philosophies, similar ways the teams are stacked up. Both teams have a lot of talent. Basically, they win when they hit homers and score—and we do the same.”
The teams are remarkably similar, with heavy-hitting lineups, high-upside-yet-often-questioned starting pitchers, slick fielders and deep bullpens. But there are some subtle differences.
“We’re right-handed, they’re left-handed,” Gibbons said when tasked with identifying how the teams differ. “They have more power coming out of their rotation than we do. We’re a little more of a finesse team. But, yeah, a lot of similarities.”
The Blue Jays finish 2015 with a 13-6 regular season record against the Yankees, the first time since 2010 that they’ve had a winning record against the Bronx Bombers and only the second time since the turn of the century. If you’re looking for a primary reason why the Blue Jays are in line to win the East, you’ve found it.
Bautista regains his wing
Jose Bautista notched a pair of outfield assists during Tuesday’s extra-innings loss, his first assists since July and a crucial test for his strained right shoulder, an injury he’s carried for most of the season.
Bautista has been unable to utilize one of his most underrated weapons—a cannon of an arm—at times this season as he’s battled that injury, but he had little trouble gunning out Dustin Ackley at third base and Chris Young at home Tuesday night.
Incredibly, according to MLB StatCast, Bautista’s throw that nabbed Ackley at third travelled 249.8 feet with a top speed of 92.9 mph without ever touching the ground.
“It’s feeling much better. I can’t say it’s 100 per cent. I don’t expect it to be 100 per cent until spring training next year,” Bautista said of his shoulder. “But I feel good enough where I can make some pretty good throws. That was the result of it [Tuesday] night. I got some pretty good catch and releases. Those throws that I made were on target. I felt good about them when I made them and it ended up working out for us.”
Donaldson battling fatigue
All ballplayers are fatigued at this point in the season, but one Blue Jay who appears to be especially worn down is Josh Donaldson, who has played in 150 of the team’s 152 games this season, and leads the American League with 669 plate appearances. The third baseman is having an MVP season, but in September his production has slowed by his standards, as he’s batting .276/.367/.474 with eight extra-base hits in 20 games.
“I know he’s fatigued. They all are,” Gibbons said. “I see them out there before the game—they’re not moving around like they used to. But when the game starts they get through all that. And that’s for everybody. It’s a grind. Even the Yankees across the way, they’ve got a lot of older players. Their bodies are beat to crap, too.”
If the Blue Jays manage to clinch a playoff spot with time remaining in the regular season, look for Donaldson to receive a few days off in order to get his legs back under him heading into October.
Stroman’s a beast
What more is there to say about Marcus Stroman? In his third start following an incredible, six-month comeback from ACL surgery, the 24-year-old was untouchable, shutting out the Yankees over seven innings and laying waste to any doubts about his ability to pitch big innings for the Blue Jays this fall.
“It was really the perfect game for him to be pitching. It was a big game; a really big game,” Gibbons said. “He’s strong. He’s basically at the start of the season right now. He’s got the weapons to do it. He can reach in with a two-seamer, a curveball, a changeup. He gets late in a game and he can attack you so many different ways. And he can also get you on the ground.”
Since returning to the Blue Jays, Stroman has mixed and matched all six of his pitches, relying heavily on the sinker he developed midway through his breakout rookie season while flashing the wipe-out breaking pitches that got him to the majors and having unexpected success with his cutter. He’s worked quickly, borrowing from his mentor Mark Buehrle and averaging just 19 seconds between pitches. And, most importantly for any pitcher, he’s been in the zone, a trend that continued in Wednesday’s series finale, as Stroman threw 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes.
Both on and off the mound, he’s been a constant source of energy and enthusiasm for his teammates.
“Emotion is definitely a big part of my game. It’s something I feel like I’m able to direct in a positive way and into a positive energy, and use in the moment to really bear down and pitch better,” Stroman said. “I’m a very emotional person. I pitch with a huge chip on my shoulder, and I feel like every time out there I have to prove a lot of people wrong. I’m pretty determined and motivated.”
Looking forward
With 10 games remaining, the Blue Jays are overwhelmingly likely to reach the post-season, with a magic number of three to clinch at least a wild card berth and eight to win the division.
“Our destiny’s within our control. There’s not that many games left in the season. The pressure’s on them,” Bautista said of the Yankees, who leave Toronto trailing in the AL East by 3.5 games. “You just have to continue to play good. We’re not taking anything for granted. We just have to continue to play good baseball and be the confident first place team. That’s it.”