Blue Jays and Dodgers renew rivalry intensified by World Series clash

TORONTO — For years, as the Toronto Blue Jays closely watched the way the Los Angeles Dodgers operated and in the lead-up to their epic World Series clash last fall, Andrew Friedman made it clear the reverse held true as well. 

“Probably our largest focal point and biggest goal was to try to create a destination spot where our own players didn’t want to leave and where players from other teams wanted to come, and I think, invariably, we find ourselves going up against the Blue Jays a lot in different ways, and they have created that as well,” the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations said back on Oct. 24, when asked what stuck out to him about the way his rival is run.

“They have done a really good job with their facilities, the way they communicate, how they help get the most out of players. I think they have done a tremendous job.”

When the same question was posed to Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, he pointed to the Dodgers’ “open-minded nature. Andrew has also kept a lot of staff members around. There is a commitment to his people. Obviously, it starts with their ownership. They have continued to build upon really good resources. Those are all things I would say the Blue Jays are trying to do as well.”

Those feelings of mutual admiration were tested during a fiercely fought Fall Classic won by the Dodgers, and are sure to hit differently Monday (Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT), when the teams meet at Rogers Centre for the first time since that epic Game 7.

That their rivalry extended into an off-season clash for free agent Kyle Tucker — who chose Los Angeles’ $240-million, four-year deal rather than Toronto’s $350-million, 10-year offer — adds even more intrigue to the series.

Still, an underlying theme is the intensity of rivalry between them now, and how closely each monitors what the other does in search of an edge, demonstrated by the Dodgers complaining to Major League Baseball about the positioning of the Blue Jays’ base coaches during the World Series.

Although the league dismissed that complaint, MLB heard from players and clubs throughout the regular season and playoffs about coaches across baseball standing outside the coach boxes to gather information on pitchers and relay that to hitters. Throughout the post-season, umpires instructed managers during pre-game lineup-card exchanges to remind coaches about remaining in their boxes during play, although teams still pushed the envelope.

During the World Series, the Blue Jays and Dodgers combined for 45 balls in play that produced a run, with one or both base coaches outside the box on 23 of them — just over half. Notably, Game 7 was the only time the coaches for both teams were inside the boxes for every run in the game.

The above numbers, of course, don’t mean that coaches were necessarily picking up info or relaying it to hitters on plays that scored runs. But the reality is that the farther away from home a base coach goes, the easier it becomes to peer into a pitcher’s glove.

Sometimes, the positioning of base coaches or their specific movements are little more than gamesmanship aimed at disrupting the opposing pitcher. Sometimes, though, they actually are looking for a pitch grip, or are passing along tips that come from the dugout, or are relaying info from the base coach across the diamond.

Either way, it was a topic that mattered to those on the field. And although front office officials wouldn’t typically be involved in matters this granular, the likes of Friedman and Atkins were certainly aware of these conversations as the series unfolded.

All of which is why MLB is more strictly enforcing their coach positioning rules this season, mandating that they stand within the box between pitches when the pitcher is on the rubber. Umpires are to issue a warning upon the first violation, with the coach subject to ejection for subsequent infractions. 

Discussing the change during spring training, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, “What the league’s trying to eliminate is you look up and there’s nobody on base, and you get a third base coach or a first base coach almost at the back of the dirt” to prevent “people being in spots that may be a little bit more advantageous to see a grip or a pitch.” 

“Pitchers all have tendencies, where they come set, how they’re gripping each pitch, arm might be a little bit higher, a little bit lower on a certain pitch,” he added. “The goal of it is to try to get everyone in the same spot. If you can find an advantage in (the coach’s box), great, go for it. But if you’re wandering down the line talking to the umpire, looking at some things from a different angle, that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

One thing the 4-5 Blue Jays will be trying to avoid is making too much of their latest clash with the 7-2 Dodgers, especially after a 1-5 week versus the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, plus major injuries to Cody Ponce and Alejandro Kirk.

Memories good and bad from last fall will be stirred, no doubt, as colleague Ben Nicholson-Smith examined previously. But be it the free-agency markets of Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Tucker, or a World Series that won’t be soon forgotten, the Blue Jays and Dodgers are building quite the rivalry, eying one another down to the very last detail.

–with files from Ben Nicholson-Smith