TORONTO — Most important of all, the Blue Jays made it through to another round.
They’re now one of MLB’s final four teams, about to play the Tigers or Mariners for the right to advance to their first World Series since 1993. That in itself is an accomplishment for a team that lost 88 games a year ago and hadn’t won a single playoff game in nine years.
But even beyond the obvious, the Blue Jays’ four-game win over the Yankees helps position them for further success in various smaller, harder-to-quantify ways.
Whether or not it was gamesmanship, Trey Yesavage and perhaps even Kevin Gausman were considered available in Game 4 of the ALDS, and both would almost certainly have pitched in a Game 5. But because the Blue Jays successfully navigated a bullpen game without that duo, they’re positioned to begin the ALCS just as they began the LDS.
Gausman will presumably start Game 1, with Yesavage available for Game 2 at home and Shane Bieber lined up for Game 3 on the road. All would be pitching on extended rest — probably not a bad thing at this time of year.
And once again, Yesavage’s unorthodox delivery could give him the element of surprise as the winner of Friday’s Tigers-Mariners game will presumably fly right to Toronto after the game, meaning they almost certainly won’t have the chance to plug the 22-year-old rookie into any Trajekt pitching machines for a preview of what’s ahead.
For context, visitors do not have access to Trajekt’s life-like simulations, but most teams have one at home (one plugged in person estimated 25 of the 30 teams own one). Whether that’s a small advantage or a big one is hard to say, but neither the Tigers nor the Mariners have ever seen Yesavage, so the lack of familiarity may help the Blue Jays a little.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays’ bullpen will also have three days to rest, providing an important breather for the likes of Louis Varland, who pitched in all four ALDS games.
“It’s nice to take a deep breath,” manager John Schneider said after the Blue Jays clinched. “It’s really nice to go home and know that we’re playing at home, and it’s nice to sort through what we think is the best way to try to beat whoever we’re going to play.
“It allows some guys to hopefully get a little bit more healthy,” Schneider continued. “It allows some guys to get a little bit of rest after what was a very emotional, hard-fought four games against the Yankees.”
That also applies to position players like Bo Bichette, who started light running Wednesday, and Anthony Santander, whose left shoulder still isn’t 100 per cent.
The Blue Jays’ opponent, on the other hand, will have just navigated an elimination game Friday before traversing the country late that night to arrive in Toronto for Saturday’s workout. And with Tarik Skubal and George Kirby slated to start Friday, one of those pitchers will be unavailable until midway through the ALCS, depending on which team wins Game 5.
All told, those are real, albeit small and hard-to-quantify advantages. Of course, one big swing by Cal Raleigh or Riley Greene early in Game 1 would tilt the series back the other way in a matter of moments, so this favourable position might be short-lived.
But for whatever it’s worth, the Blue Jays have put themselves into a great spot ahead of the ALCS. For a few days, the Blue Jays can enjoy it, strategizing and preparing at Rogers Centre ahead of their next challenge. And soon enough, it’ll be time for the players to take advantage of this position and turn it into more wins.
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Watch the Blue Jays in the ALCS on Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays will continue their historic playoff run when the ALCS begins Sunday at 8:08 p.m. ET/ 5:08 p.m. PT. Catch every game on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
BASEBALL ON THE BORDER
Regardless of which team advances to the ALDS, the Blue Jays’ next opponent will be located close to the Canada-U.S. border, creating the possibility that fans from southwestern Ontario or British Columbia could cross over to support the Jays on the road.
Both Seattle and Detroit often have lots of Blue Jays fans in attendance for regular-season games, though it’s unclear how that would play out in the post-season as the Blue Jays have never played Detroit in the playoffs and their only matchup against Seattle happened at Rogers Centre.
Plus, it’s possible the Mariners or Tigers would place geographic restrictions on who can buy tickets, like the Yankees did in the ALDS. Either way, the Blue Jays are grateful for the fan support both on the road and at Rogers Centre, where they went 54-27 (plus 2-0 in the post-season) this year.
“Our fans have been a factor,” president and CEO Mark Shapiro told Sportsnet.ca in New York. “They were a factor down the stretch and have been a factor all year. We have the best home record in baseball. Our guys feel it, they know it.
“And it’s not just the fans in Toronto, which is really cool because when we travel, we travel (well),” he continued. “It’s cool to see our (players) so cognizant of the fact that they represent a country, not just a team, and they take so much pride in that and talk so passionately about what it’s meant to play at Rogers Centre this year. So having that home-field advantage in the next round is going to be another positive thing for us.”
