Flying south for the winter

 

by Michael Hugall

Top of the ninth and two out, most of Canada watched anxiously as Toronto’s saviour stepped to the plate with runners on second and third. Was this it? Could this be first year since 1993 the Toronto Blue Jays mend the hearts on their fan base? Josh Donaldson dug in and swung through the first-pitch, strike one.

Now desperation started to kick in. The Toronto Blue Jays had been 0-10 with runners in scoring position to this point in the game, however, only trailing 4-3. Many fans staring through their television screens as if they could feel the cold air at Kauffman stadium in Kansas City, Mis.

As the count reached two balls and one strike, it was time for Donaldson to let loose and continue this miracle season for Canada’s team.

With a swift crack of the bat, fans cheered… all the time and emotion spent was about to pay-off as the ball rolled swiftly toward the hole between third and short-we were going to Game 7. And just as that thought crossed the minds of millions, Kansas City Royals third-baseman Mike Moustakas cut off the ball, funneled it to his shoulder and threw a strike to first base.

The season which saw the second-best record in the American League and one of the most powerful offences since the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” had come to a close, to the dismay of the millions that had fallen in love with the Blue Jays. Although one could pose the question, isn’t this to be expected from the City of Toronto? In the past three years we have seen the Jays, Raptors, Maple Leafs, and now the Toronto FC make promising runs heading into the post-season of their respected sports. Still fans have seen disappointment.

Let’s put things into perspective: A simple formula for being successful when playing baseball in October is as followed; (seasoned-veteran hitters + young-desirable fielders) x (Lockdown bullpen + experienced starters) = World Series rings.

Before the July 31 trade deadline, general manager Alex Anthopolous made a vow to all of the fans he was going to shake up the culture of his baseball team. Through acquiring players such as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies and southpaw David Price from the Detroit Tigers, fans felt comfortable and were no longer calling for the head of their general manager. It was apparent the Blue Jays were all-in for a World Series title as they finished the season with a 93-60 season.

Skip ahead to the beginning of October and a date with the Texas Rangers in the American League Divisional series. It was a series that many thought would be a walk in the park for the Blue Jays since the Rangers just squeaked into the postseason as the winners of the American League West. However, refer to the above formula: with a pitching staff consisting of Yovanni Gallardo, Cole Hamels, and Derek Holland, and veteran post-season hitters like Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder complemented with young talent: Rougned Odor (batted .278 and an OPS of .881) and Delino Deshields (batted .291 with 3 doubles), combined with a bullpen who had not exceeded an earned run average above 0.50 since the middle of August, this was indeed a tough task for the Blue Jays to handle. They almost didn’t make it to the next round as their post-season lives came down to the saving grace of Jose Bautista’s home-run, now dubbed, “The shot heard ’round the province.”

Going into the American League Championship series against last years runner-up in the Kansas City Royals, Toronto would need more then David Price (whose post-season statistics are dismal at two wins and seven losses, a 5.12 ERA and a WHIP “walks/hits per innings pitched” of over 1.1), and Troy Tulowitzki who batted .095 with only four runs batted in against Texas.

It was an outcome many people in the baseball world saw coming as Canada’s team fell short of the World Series after a 22 year postseason drought losing in six games to the Royals, completing yet another disappointing chapter in Toronto sports history.

Chalk it up to Canada’s patriotic complex, or the “rose-coloured glasses effect,” but since the beginning of October the Blue Jays were destined to fly south for the winter.