Blue Jays are baseball’s nomads, sweep 4 from Yanks in New York
Updated Friday, September 10, 2021
Since the beginning of this baseball season the Toronto Blue Jays have led the American League in potential. Their lineup has included some of the sport’s youngest and most promising stars: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (22), Bo Bichette (23), Cavan Biggio (26) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (27).
They were held back only by various injuries to Biggio and George Springer and by a government in Canada that takes Covid seriously. Canada would not allow attendance in Rogers Centre until July 30. Prior to that, the Jays played their home games in their spring-training center at Dunedin, Fla., and their Class AAA ballpark in Buffalo, N.Y.
So they weren’t very visible. Or very good: 33-35 in mid-June, 50-48 in late July.
When the doors to Rogers Centre were reopened, attendance was limited to 15,000. But this was more than double the crowds in Dunedin and Buffalo, so the Jays became energized. They’re 17-8 in Toronto, and they’ve become very competitive elsewhere, winning 11 of their past 18 on the road.
This week they blew into New York like Hurricane Ida. For the first time since 1924, the Yankees were swept in a four-game series at home without ever leading a game.
The Jays have won eight consecutive games and are half a game behind the Yankees for the second AL wild card playoff berth.
Jays manager Charlie Montoya believes his team’s nomadic journey has turned out to be beneficial. While other teams are tiring, they’re refreshed by a mere return to normalcy. After Thursday night’s 6-4 victory at Yankee Stadium, Montoya said of his players: “They never complain, and that’s why we’re in this spot right now.”
Another reason they’re there is a starting rotation that’s now looking like the best in baseball.
Robbie Ray, who on Friday night will open a four-game series in Baltimore against the league’s worst team, is having a career year at 29. He’s 11-5, with a 2.60 ERA. He could challenge Gerrit Cole for the Cy Young Award, especially with the Yankees’ ace suffering from a tight hamstring that caused him to depart Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning.
Behind Ray, the Jays have Hyun Jin Ryu (13-8, 3.77), Jose Berrios (11-7, 3.52), Steven Matz (11-7, 3.70) and rookie Alek Manoah, 5-2, 3.71. All are lefthanded, except for Berrios, who won Thursday’s game with a strong 7-inning effort.
Matz was thought to be washed up at 30 after going 0-5 with a 9.68 ERA for the New York Mets last season. But he’s making the comeback of the year, improving by the week. In seven starts dating back to Aug. 4, he’s 3-1 and 1.63.
As solid as their pitching is (3.25 staff ERA since Aug. 18), the Jays are more feared for their bats. They lead the majors with 217 home runs. Their batting average, .264 is second, behind Houston’s .267. They have five players with more than 20 homers. They’re likely to have six when Springer recovers from his latest injury, a knee contusion. The clutch-hitting center fielder has 16 home runs in 56 games.
During the past two weeks, Guerrero, Gurriel, Marcus Semien and 22-year-old catcher Alejandro Kirk all have OPS better than .950. Montoya observed: “We’re hitting the ball everywhere. Not just bombs. Vladdy is getting base hits to right field.”
When the Jays were struggling a month ago, reporters who covered the team suggested that Guerrero, being unaccustomed to a 162-game schedule, was wearing down. He hit .267 in August, slugged .440, and dropped out of the MVP conversation.
But Guerrero has had a September revival, batting .412 so far and slugging .676. He homered three times in the Yankee Stadium series, giving him 42 for the season, one behind Shohei Ohtani. Guerrero is first in the AL in BA (.319) and is just 4 RBI off the lead. If he wins the Triple Crown and Toronto makes the playoffs, Ohtani, who’s slumping at the plate – if not at the mound — could lose his grip on the MVP trophy.
