JUNE SEVENTH, TIGERS 3, JAYS 2: I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Two days ago, after Roberto Osuna's shaky rescue of Marco Estrada against the Red Sox, I suggested that God must wear a Blue Jays' hat. Last night, I questioned that assumption, noting that a lovely rainbow spread over the Detroit skyline just as the Tigers were putting the finishing touches to laying a beating on…
JUNE 6TH, TIGERS 11, JAYS 0: LAUGHER, NOT
The biggest issue to be examined about tonight's dreadful shellacking of the Blue Jays by the Tigers won't really be resolved until tomorrow night's second game of the series at Bank Park in Detroit. That, obviously, is the question of how they will rebound after what happened tonight. The biggest measure of any team or…
May Twenty-Ninth: Red Sox 5, Jays 3
Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad
Whether they were lucky enough to hold tickets for today's long-ago-sold-out game or not, Blue Jays' fans were abuzz with anticipation. The home team was going for its third straight series win, and had the brooms out for the hitherto high-flying Red Sox. We were also going for our fifth straight win, and eighth of…
May Fifteenth: Rangers 7, Jays 6
Went to the Fights Last Night and a Baseball Game Broke Out
I purposely didn't start yesterday's game report right away because I needed some time to take in all of the commentary, and work through for myself the implications of everything that happened. So, let's start with this: Jose Bautista must be planning a major “good luck” clubhouse gift to the Toronto Raptors in advance of…
APRIL 17TH, JAYS 6, RED SOX 5: DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS HARD?
So the Jays go into Boston finally having risen above the .500 mark, only to lose the first two of four, as the tight games continue. Now they have to take two in a row at Fenway to escape with a split. Not a great prospect when they're struggling so at the plate. A strong…
APRIL 16TH, RED SOX 4, JAYS 2: SOMETIMES IT’S OVER BEFORE IT’S OVER
Sometimes the crucial plays that determine the outcome of a game come early, and the rest of the game carries an air of inevitability as each side plays out its fate. In the top of the first, after Kevin Pillar took a called third strike from David Price, Josh Donaldson smashed a ball to Fenway's…
APRIL 15TH (JACKIE ROBINSON DAY), RED SOX 5, JAYS 3: NOUS SOMMES TOUS JACKIE
Let's start with a tip of the cap to Jackie Robinson, who changed everything, and to Branch Rickey, who made it happen. Somehow, Rickey's role in the integration of MLB, which stemmed, as we understand it, not so much from a stirring call to social justice, as from a burning desire to make his…
APRIL 14TH: JAYS 4, YANKEES 2: STROMAN THE NEW PRICE?
I love a neat and tidy game, when the good guys win, the stars do their thing, and all the problems are little ones. This one starts and ends with the Stroman. What can you say about him that hasn't already been said? When he came back last September, the big new thing was his…
APRIL 13TH, JAYS 7, YANKEES 2: LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT
Finally, a 4-run eighth ices the game, in 2015 fashion. Timely hitting, going with the pitch, good baserunning: this is the first time that they've put it all together in one inning. And without a dinger. The palpable sigh of relief out of the way, let's get down to particulars. First, starting pitching. I take…
APRIL 12TH, YANKEES 3, JAYS 2: THE KNOCK-A AGAINST TANAKA
Great anticipation for the pitching tonight, Sanchez versus Tanaka. We're looking to build on the very positive Estrada/Storen/Osuna shutout of Boston on Sunday with another good outing on the mound for the Jays. We get it, and Sanchez certainly looks better than Tanaka, but we still lose. Two runs on three hits, even supplemented by…