“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
The quote made famous by Michael Corleone in Godfather Part III (and again through the lips of Silvio Dante in The Sopranos) registers here. Nothing quite describes the Canadian unrelenting love-hate relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays like that classic line.
And man-o-man, they’ve got me reeled in again.
And I am not alone.
Ratings on Sportsnet for the Blue Jays are off the charts this season (particularly lately) and attendance at Rogers Centre is, well, let’s just say it was nearly impossible to grab a ticket for any game in the last two series as the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers visited.
People in Toronto and people across the country are buying in to what the organization is selling . . . one more time.
Why not? This is truly compelling stuff.
As I shared in this space two weeks ago, Toronto is in a place of great un-expectations. As the great Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez tend to ponder during broadcasts – ‘What would you think if I’d told you back in March that the Jays would be well atop the division in the middle of August?’
We’d tell you guys you were nuts.
Simple, but to the point.
But here they are and here is the point, one step further – this is one incredibly special season of baseball for win-starved Canadians.
‘Special’ is the appropriate word. This is a team devoid of superstar depth (see: LA Dodgers) and devoid of any kind of lengthy, dependable and steady run of success (see: Dodgers again; Houston’s Astros; New York’s Yankees).
The pitching was going to be okay, Buck or Dan might tell you back in March, but the run support churned up outside of the newly signed Vladdy Guererro Jr. was gonna be sparse. The bullpen was questionable. New closer Jeff Hoffman was a gamble after several sure-fire seasons from Canuck Jordan Romano. The returning Bo Bichette was one year away from free agency and coming off a laborious, injury-laden year in blue and white.
The task at hand was seemingly unattainable.
Toronto was 17-18 through the first week of May, which was about the expected winning percentage gathered from the pundits in the pre-season. The unexpected? A mark of 27-13 since the beginning of July.
Each night and each afternoon, the team displays its depth. This is particularly accurate with the offence. It’s certainly not Vladdy or Bo who are delivering the knockouts every game. It’s been guys like Ernie Clement and Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger . . . and on and on.
The KO comes from the entire roster.
Ditto for the pitching. Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and the surprising Eric Lauer have all shared and contributed to the success. And with the fully re-habbed Shane Bieber set to take the mound (likely after the upcoming Pittsburgh series), Toronto’s wealth of riches at the starter’s spot gets wealthier.
What should prove intriguing, as well, is the slate of games Toronto has on the horizon.
The Jays have three – starting tonight – in Pittsburgh against the National League Central bottom-dwelling Pirates; then it’s off to Florida to tackle the fairly dreadful Marlins; and wrap up this set of nine games at home versus a Minnesota Twins club that sold the farm at the trade deadline. Anything less than a 6-3 run would be disappointing at this juncture.
And if fruitful through this stretch – given the way the back-to-Earth Red Sox are playing, and the defensively stunted Yankees are stumbling – a division title would easily be in reach.
Quite the story, eh?
And here’s another one: The chatter surrounding manager John Schneider is picking up . . . except for different reasons than in season’s past. There’s no talk about a firing in 2025, rather there’s a rapidly growing discussion about where Schnieder figures in the manager of the year ballot.
Give him credit. Schneider’s pushing all the right buttons this summer. And that has the Canadian bandwagon for baseball up and fully operational once again.
