In a world where winning is everything, the Blue Jays lost…..and it was a heartbreaking gut-wrenching loss, when they were so very close to victory. In a do-or-die Game 7 they were leading 5-4 in the 9th inning, 3 outs away from winning the World Series, then a Dodgers homerun tied the game. On to two innings of nerve-wracking overtime – they had their chances – a few missed opportunities and some sheer bad luck and suddenly it was over with the sound of Kirk’s broken bat, leaving the team and the fans just as shattered after a wild drama filled ride.
Yes, it was great that they got that far. They were the underdogs against the mighty LA Dodgers, and their turbo Japanese pitching machine. The fact that they had even made it to the world series was something to be celebrated. After placing last place in their division last year (74 games) they placed first (94 games, tied with New York), this year, and thus avoided the whole Wild Card spot scenario, which had defeated them in the past. They went on to win against the New York Yankees capturing the ALDS division, then the Seattle Mariners winning the ALCS division, with a combination of grit, grind and pure determination. They were known as the “comeback kids” as they never gave up, often rallying late in the game against the relief pitchers. Or as my friend called them “the cardiac kids” as so many of the games were nail-bitters. (I know my blood pressure was up because I took it).
The Jays this year were a unique and special team. Yes, they had their veteran sluggers like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, but the younger players, some in their first year of MLB, contributed just as many hits as the stars – Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes, who spent ten years in the minors, and Ernie Clement, with a record of 30 hits in post season, could always be depended on for a base hit or an RBI, with Kirk the catcher at the calm centre of it all. Everyone stepped up, including the 22-year-old rookie pitcher, Trey Yesavage, who had only been called up to the majors from Triple A six weeks earlier. If one player didn’t do well, past the baton to the next guy, get on base, get home, keep the momentum going. The defense, the offense and the pitching were all good. And they were such a likeable cast of characters. My favorite was Ernie Clement, who always had a smile on his face and looked like he was having such fun, but in the locker room after, he was in tears, as were many others. He was sad it was over, and they wouldn’t get another chance tomorrow and it was like losing 40 of his best friends. If you’ve ever had a job that didn’t seem like work, with nice colleagues, good management and great teamwork, (as I had exactly once in my career), you know how rare a combination that is and can relate.
“I think this is a quote from Herb Brooks, but we are a team of uncommon men,” Clement said after the game. “I think a normal team would’ve folded today, and we’re not normal. I think we’re the best team in baseball, and we got out of bed today with our hair on fire and ready to play.”
I watched some of the post game interviews in the locker room and they were very emotional. (Who said there was no crying in baseball.) I felt so bad for them, to have come so close and have their dream snatched away like that. Losing was no one person’s fault – but a lot of what-if’s – what if that ball had gone 6 inches farther and sailed over the fence instead of lodging, what if the runner had slid into home plate instead of running it out, what if Barger hadn’t been so far off the base – you can second guess all you want, but they just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Only 3 of the 40 members had ever played in a world series game, the manager John Schneider ( 24 years) never, and the pitching coach Pete Walker (40 years) never. In his interview after, John Schneider thanked them all, and said he was proud of them and that they had done it the right way.
The Blue Jays are based in Toronto and are the only Canadian team in MLB, (there are 30 teams split between the American League and the National League) so the fan support was phenomenal, with many fans travelling across the country to spend thousands on tickets. The Jays last won the World Series over 30 years ago in 1992 and 93, and I remember the pandemonium in the city as I was there for a conference at the time. And while most of the players are Americans, when they come to Toronto they seem to absorb the culture of the team. You don’t often see that degree of cohesiveness, (as Schneider called it), camaraderie and friendship when players are traded so frequently, and the all-important stats are used as a measure of performance and competition.
There’s always next year, but this team is not likely to repeat itself with so many of the players free-agents now and a contract negotiation/possible lockout looming on the horizon. Unlike the Dodgers with their deep pockets, the Blue Jays will not be able to afford to keep them all. They have some hard decisions to make. I hope we don’t lose Bo Bichette, another long-time favourite, whose playing-with-an-injury home run should have won them the game.
I saw this photo on Facebook the next morning, of the billion dollar Babe Ruths….
Yes, the LA Dodgers trio of imported pitchers are stellar, but they should be at that price. They Dodgers won last year, and no doubt will next year, as they are locked into long ten year contracts. In a world where money talks, and the biggest payroll usually wins…..is there any sense of fair competition anymore? It must be very discouraging to all the US teams that have much smaller payrolls. Yes, Toronto has the fifth highest payroll, and the Jays signed Vladdy Jr, for 500million, but that was for 14 years, and he’d already played ten years for the Jays, starting in the farm teams at 16, plus he was voted MVP this year for his skill and stats, as well as being the heart and soul of the team.
Maybe the payroll discrepancy is why the sport seems to be declining in popularity. If the odds are that stacked against you why even try to compete. People can’t afford tickets to the home games thus discouraging attendance. Only 11 million Americans saw that Ronald Reagan ad from the Ontario premier in games 1 and 2, so why was Trump in such a snit about it that he cancelled trade talks with Canada – 11 million is peanuts for a country of 350 million, or maybe because it was on Fox news? I watched the games on Sportsnet, with half of the 40 million people Canada tuned in. Maybe the loss cut deeper for the Jays fans, as it would have been one small win for a country that has been bludgeoned to death economically over the past year by tariffs on autos/lumber/steel/aluminum and the taunting threats of becoming the 51st state.
But it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. Is that old adage even true anymore, where might equals right and a bully mentality seems to be the norm?
So let’s talk about fair play. Is good sportsmanship obsolete or is it all about winning at any cost? There was always a Most Sportsman Like Player trophy awarded when I played, honoring fairness, honesty, and respect for other players, including the opposing team, both on and off the field.
The teams were evenly matched, and it could have gone either way. But I lost track of how many times Blue Jays players (accidentally? you decide) got hit in the batter’s box. Poor George Springer – they pitch inside to himself so often he’s excelled at “springing” out of the way. Yes, you can expect some wild throws, even from the pitchers who usually have deadly aim, but you have to wonder when it happens over and over again to the same key players. The worst was Kirk getting hit on the wrist/hand. It happened twice, in game 6 and the ninth inning of game 7 when the Jays were staging a comeback and things were really tense. Hey, if you want to take out their star catcher, aim for his hands. So, in the 4th inning when Andres Gimenez got hit, and angrily said, “throw it over the plate” is it any wonder that both dugouts emptied onto the field and a verbal brawl ensued. I’ve never seen that before in baseball, I thought I was watching a hockey game! (In hockey it would have been an actual physical fight) Tensions were running high. The umps got them simmered down, and play proceeded, but it was jarring and I think the Jays were rattled after that. They never really regained their usual momentum. But maybe that was the whole point? Like Ohtani, taking a leisurely dugout break between the first few innings? Make them wait while I warm up…
Let’s talk about those umps and the controversial calls. Yes, it’s hard to be a home plate ump, but a delayed strike call at home plate by the ump disposed of Bo Bichette who was picked off walking to second base because he thought it was ball four (which it clearly was), as the batter who also thought it was a ball, had already started walking to first. The ump eventually called it a strike, but by then everyone seemed confused as they all thought it was a ball. This happened twice, the first time with George Springer. What’s up with the hesitation – if you can’t decide, take some time to think about it? They need to change the rules on that. If they can challenge a bad call on the field with a video replay why can’t they allow that at home plate – maybe up to 4 per game so as not to slow things down too much. Especially when it’s a crucial play.
And how about that dead ball controversy in the ninth inning of Game 6 when a last-minute Jays rally was in progress. Is a lodged/stuck ball really a dead ball if it can be easily pick it up off the ground and played? Was it stuck or just lying on the ground at the base of the wall. (watch the video) It was certainly playable, but the Dodgers outfielder, seizing a golden opportunity to reverse some runs, made no attempt to pick it up. I saw a dead ball in one of the other games, (Tampa Bay Rays in their temporary makeshift diamond) and it was stuck in the corner of the upper wall and hence not playable. That dead ball call cost the Jays two runs in, and a potential game, as both players had to go back to their bases, according to the dead ball rule book and then someone popped out and the inning was over. Yes, the play was reviewed in New York – but can you trust the New York reviewers? How many viewing angles do they have for something like that? Is anyone in management allowed to see the footage after the fact or is that top secret? Those reviewers in New York seem leery of overturning anything. Or how about that close call on the throw to home plate in the ninth inning that looked like the Jays Kiner-Falefa was safe – which would have won them the game. From my angle, it sure looked like the catcher had stepped off the bag. Even the announcer thought the game was over. But on video review – nope – out.
Do I seem bitter? I am. A combination of missed opportunities, bad luck, controversial calls, and the brawl on the field, by the end everyone’s nerves were rattled, including mine. While it was a memorable year, I’m glad it’s over for 4 months – give the guys a a chance to rest and recover from their injuries, and spend some time with their families. ( I’m sure George Springer at 36, was being held together by duct tape and Advil. His wife looked very concerned)
They showed the WAG’s and kids on the field after one of the division wins, and they all look like models of course, but who would want to be married to a major league baseball player? You’re basically signing up to be a single parent. On the road 9 months of the year, and when they are home, there’s the workout routine and the nutrition protocol, and all the night games, and when you get home, pumped with adrenalin, how do you even sleep. You’re certainly not getting your kids ready for school or putting them to bed. I noticed some the Jays relievers had written number 51 on their hats in game 6 in support of Alex Vesia, the Dodgers player who missed the world series because of a family crisis – a small acknowledgement to the opposing team that there are more important things than baseball. What a classy thing to do, but then they are a class act.
During the play-offs there was only day off between cities, a rigorous schedule along with the 3 hour time change. I wonder what they do all day when the game starts at 8pm and goes until midnight and you’re just waiting around for it to start. When do they eat, before or after the games? What do they eat to keep up their stamina? I can’t imagine there is much nutrition in the sunflower seeds they spit out. Game Three went on for an exhausting and record-breaking 18 innings, lasting 6 hrs and 39 minutes, like two games in one. I went to bed at midnight when it was tied, as I had to get up early for a medical test, and it was over close to 3am. And then to get up and do it all over again, the next day. It must be really hard on your body, even if you are in good shape – 162 games in a regular season plus October if you’re lucky enough to get that far. Plus, you’re only ever one critical injury away from ending your career. If you’re lucky you get surgery and a long recovery time. Yes, the money is good, but the careers are often short. And then what do you do with the rest of your life – coach? Any other job might seem boring by comparison?
The oldest member of the team was (Mad) Max Scherzer, at 41, who has pitched in three world series and says he lives for that kind of stuff. The youngest was 22-year-old Trey Yesavage, who did great in his two pitching starts, game 1 and 5. A very poised and confident young man from Pennsylvania, it was nice to see his family, especially his dad, so emotional in the stands at his first game. So your son is in A level in Dunedin in the spring, playing to a crowd of 4000 and now he’s the starter pitcher in the world series with 45,000 people cheering – that’s heady stuff. If I had been the Blue Jays manager, I would have put him in as the relief pitcher in the overtime innings – for such a young kid, he was fearless, grace under pressure. But then the whole team was.
So even though the Jays did not win, the fans are proud of them and will be there when opening day rolls around again March 26. Anything can happen in October baseball, but as one of the announcers said, the baseball gods got it wrong this time. The best team did not win. And I agree, but perhaps I’m biased. But while they may have lost the series, a series no Canadian will ever forget, they won the hearts of the nation.
PS. Readers who are surprised by my enthusiasm for baseball, might enjoy my 2021 blog Take Me Out To the Ball Game where I write about being the worst player ever….
thehomeplaceweb 
I am not the biggest sports fan in the world, but baseball is my sentimental favorite, mainly because of its history that goes back much longer than other major league sports. And as a longtime fan of the Chicago Cubs, I understand the pain of losing after looking like the team was going all the way.
I got through this year without watching a single baseball game. I will need to do something about that next year.
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I usually only tune in regularly in August, although I might watch a few spring games. I don’t think I missed a game all Sept/Oct. Now that my evenings aren’t devoted to baseball I’ll have to take up reading again! And yes, the early years of baseball are interesting. Those guys would be shocked if they see what salaries are now.
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I am not a baseball fan but I was rooting for the Jays. Mostly for political reasons although our big buffoon didn’t like either team. Watching the game must have been a heart breaker. We are home to a popular triple A team locally and people love them.
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Thanks Kate! Yes, it was….so many close calls. I watched a clip of Jimmy Kimmel today with some of the Dodgers players on his show, where Kimmel asked the catcher about that controversial call at home plate that would have decided the game. He was kind of evasive about whether his foot was on the plate, and then made a joke about them taking the win it away.
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PS. I didn’t know Trump had an opinion on the game, but then I try not to watch/read anything about him!
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He doesn’t like anything Canadian or Californian these days.
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A shame I know. We like to see “someone else” win sometimes. I don’t follow baseball, but I can understand how you feel.
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Didn’t that used to happen in September?
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I think it was Dorothy, but then they added those wild card slots to give smaller teams a chance. And added games also mean more money as fans are usually tuned in then. The last game was Nov1 which seems late – sometimes there are snow flurries then, but the Dome has a cover on it.
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Thanks for explaining Joni!
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Toronto was a great story this year, as is any team that goes toe-to-toe with a club like the Dodgers or Yankees. You reminded me the Blue Jays’ road to the Series was certainly tougher than that of the Dodgers. The Yankees are always good and the Mariners were peaking at just the right time, so credit Toronto for even making it to the Series. As for the Japanese, maybe “World” Series is more fitting than it’s ever been before. Anyway, all of the details you provided on the games only add to the overused phrase “instant classic”, but in this case I think it really was. Nobody expected Toronto to hang in there until the wee hours of the final game against big, bad LA, especially with young, inexperienced players in the lineup. Lastly, your comment about Nathan Lukes’ years in the minors brings to mind “The Rookie”, the wonderful baseball movie starring Dennis Quaid. Perseverance pays off.
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True re the “world series” but I’d much rather they give the opportunity to some kid who has come up through the minors. I’m okay with North America imports, Mexico, Dominican Republic, etc but I feel about importing from Japan like I feel about importing hockey players from Europe or Sweden etc. It’s a whole other continent. I’ll have to watch that movie – I’ve heard it’s good. Nathan Lukes said he was never going back to travelling by bus again! He did great, so did Schneider, and Barger. Both have been back and forth between Buffalo Triple A and Toronto.
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Big baseball fan that you are and you haven’t seen The Rookie? OMG Joni, please make it your next watch. I’ve seen it a half-dozen times (and I’m not that big of a baseball fan) just because it’s such a feel-good movie. The story gives ample attention to the slog through the minors, as well as the heartache of leaving family behind for the love of the game. I’d put it right up there with The Natural for my favorite baseball movie.
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Dave there are so many movies and tv shows I have never watched. I swear if I ever end up in a nursing home I’ll have entire decades to catch up on! (I was never a big movie fan but worked a lot of evening shifts and read in my spare time). I checked Netflix Canada, and the only Rookie listed is that TV series about the 45 year old Rookie cop. I’ll ask if the library has an old DVD copy as I still have a BluRay player. The only baseball movies I’ve seen are Field of Dreams and A League of Their own with a young Tom Hanks. I sort of vaguely remember the Natural as having Robert Redford in it. Now that we’re heading into Hibernation Season, and I had posted that last blog about the Great Hall being like something out of Harry Potter, I realized I had never actually watched an entire Harry Potter movie, just bits and pieces, so I actually ordered a Harry Potter DVD (the first one) from the library for this weekend.
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Also meant to mention, I think MLB’s done a great job of shortening the games, in the interest of retaining younger fans who don’t have the same attention fan as those of us from older generations. In Colorado they converted a big part of of the upper deck into a standing-room only bar – cheap tickets and drinks, with a baseball game going on in the background. It’s been wildly successful to get people back to the ball park. All those little changes in the way the game is now played add up to 2.5 hours instead of 4. Professional golf needs to find a way to do the same thing or risk losing the television audience forever.
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They all still seemed like long games to me, seldom over before 11. Today I read they are going to allow challenges at the batter’s box next year with some new technology. I never thought about that but yes, younger people might not have the attention span to watch a long game. A friend remarked that she doesn’t like watching baseball as it’s too slow, not enough action. I usually have my laptop in front of me, and just look up once in a while when the opposing team is at bat if it’s too nerve-wracking, which explains why I was able to keep caught up with Reader on WPs, and now I’m behind! I couldn’t imagine watching golf on TV, now that’s a slow game.
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Yes, if I’m not mistaken they’re going to start in with “robo-umpires” next season, which is a shame IMHO. Some aspect of the game should be left to chance.
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I had heard that too Dave….but I thought it was just as a backup for achallenge system? The ump would still call the strikes/balls but if the catcher/pitcher/batter wanted to challenge it they could. But like base reviews they would only be allowed so many. I know they’ve had the technology for awhile. but all that will cause is people getting mad at the AI system instead of the ump! As garbage in/garbage out? Is the System going to allow/adjust for the height of the batter? Aaron Judd vs. Alexsandro Kirk (5’8″)? I think challenges would be okay on review, but not totally automated. I’ll have to read up on it….
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You sure do know your baseball Joni. I envy that since I don’t know anything about baseball, nor any sport to be honest. I took free tennis lessons at the park years ago, at the same time I took the free art lessons, all provided through the City. I would have to say that’s the only sport I ever participated in and after the lessons were over, I played with others in the group that Summer and that was it. When we had gym in elementary school, we had a softball to toss around and I got smacked in the face with it but no serious injuries. Other than that, I’ve attended baseball games, but that’s about it. I mentioned to Dave in comments on my post the other day that when the Blue Jays became a team back in the 70s that my grandmother was excited about them and saved me all the cardboard swag and other paraphernalia about them, all that came from “The Toronto Star.” It is probably down in my desk, unreachable, like the moon landing newspaper clippings. I wish they would have won as they had Canadians and Americans rooting for them.
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That early Blue Jays swag might be worth something now! I have absorbed a lot about the majors just from listening to the announcers talk, but i do know the rules/basics from having played myself, even though I was a lousy player.
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Well, if you ever get bored, you might be able to coach a girl’s league – how’s that for a thought? After all, you were a former player and know the rules. I wonder if the early Blue Jays swag is in my desk downstairs – it is not like I can go down and look as it is in the middle of the basement and I have two coat racks in front of it and also a lot of Rubbermaid totes which contain Christmas decorations, snow boots, puzzles my mom did for me to do years from now, books – some hobby stuff, some cookware I put down there like big soup pots, that my mom used and I am not using now. Rubbermaid totes are stacked everywhere. I don’t want to think about the basement which once looked nice after it was paneled, tiled, then an area rug and the living room furniture put down there. I just picture it being there with the moon landing clippings.
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Yes, but I was a lousy player – couldn’t hit or throw well. I don’t see girls or boys playing baseball anymore, the diamonds sit empty, probably for that reason. Most kids play soccer, as it doesn’t require as much skill, you just kid a ball around.
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We never had soccer back then. Kicking the ball around doesn’t require skills, I agree. Probably no patience is needed either. We have several parks with baseball diamonds in this city, but on Facebook, in the Residents Forum, they are always asking for kids to join to have enough kids to make a team based on age.
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I hated tennis – although I made my mother buy me a tennis racket in high school as we had to sign up for some sport and my friends were doing it. I think I played 3 or 4 times. For gym, we had basketball, volleyball and gymnastics which I hated too as I had to do the parallel bars. My gym teacher was mean. Gym class was only 40 minutes so by the time you got changed into those stupid bloomer outfits, there was maybe only 20 minutes left. It was compulsory until grade 10 then I dropped it. I don’t remember there being any outdoor activities, like soccer or track but then the falls were colder then. I know some Americans were rooting for the Jays as many of them hate New York and the Dodgers because of their stars with the big contracts and they win all the time.
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I hated gym too and we had to wear those stupid bloomer outfits in a putrid shade of green. The only thing I remember was a gym game where we were sitting on a little wooden seat with wheels (that looked like something you put under a heavy potted plant) and pushing an oversized white ball around with our feet – maybe kickball? I do think we had gymnastics and the parallel bars. I likely did lousy on them – luckily didn’t fall and break anything. Gym served no purpose in my opinion. We never played games outside, but we did have swimming and I didn’t like that either as I never learned how to swim before nor after swimming at school. Thankfully we never had gym in high school, just junior high which was bad enough. People likely looked at the Jays as the underdog since the Dodgers won the World Series the year before and everyone likes to root for the underdog. To me, they weren’t the underdog in any way, shape or form. Here they said that the Tigers would not have beaten the Jays had they advanced to the next set of playoff games as the Jays played better and were on a roll.
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Ours were a kelly green – school colors, green and gold.
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At least your uniforms were a vibrant color – ours were a dull green and I agree what you said about having a gym class that lasts an hour and it took most of the time to change into and then out of the uniform … a waste of time.
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No, our uniforms were navy with white blouses, very boring….we looked like nuns. But our school colors were green and gold – I always envied the cheerleaders their green plain tartan skirts and dark green sweaters, the captains was gold, or maybe it was the other way around I can’t remember. I wish we could have worn tartan plaid uniforms – so much nicer and preppy looking.
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Our school dress code (public high school) was dreadful. In junior high we were not allowed to wear pants, even on the coldest days, so I remember wearing wool pants under my skirts/dresses as I had about a mile to walk to school. For high school we only had half-days in 10th and 11th grade due to the millage not passing … I went from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. but in 12th grade, senior year, we went full days again and had more classes and extracurricular activities. Guys and girls looked alike wearing jeans, long hair parted in the middle. My parents were traditionalists, no jeans for school, school events okay, but you dress properly to go to school.
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They are probably right….as the Jays beat the Tigers during the regular season, in most of the games I think.
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I heard several people say that on the sports part of the newscast … they actually said “the tigers wouldn’t stand a chance of beating the Jays!”
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