TORONTO – The margins are really going to matter for the Toronto Blue Jays in this season of ambition, when attention to detail and consistent execution of the game’s finer points may very well be the difference between those ambitions being dashed or realized.
Things like Marcus Semien ranging several steps to his left and diving to snare a D.J. LeMahieu one-hopper bound for right field, making a throw from his knees to save a run, end the fifth and keep the inning from unravelling. That set the stage for Teoscar Hernandez’s game-tying homer in the top of the sixth.
Things like Tyler Chatwood taking over from Hyun-Jin Ryu in the bottom of the sixth right after Chad Green neutralized a rally in the top half against Gerrit Cole, and doing the same after the Blue Jays ace left with one on and one out in the frame.
Things like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not only commanding plate appearances against the overwhelming Cole, but also scooping balls on throws in the dirt from around the diamond.
Things like David Phelps delivering a miracle sinker down 2-1 in the count to Aaron Judge with the bases loaded, producing a sharp groundball right at third baseman Cavan Biggio for an inning-ending double play.
Things like Hernandez booting it up the line on a routine grounder in the ninth to capitalize on a Gleyber Torres bobble for an infield single to create opportunity in an unrealized inning.
Things like Biggio fielding a LeMahieu chopper in the ninth and delivering a perfect throw to Danny Jansen at the plate to cut down Mike Tauchman with the winning run.
That’s what it will take for the Blue Jays to be a legitimate post-season contender in a five-team-playoff world, and on Thursday it all added up to a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees decided by Randal Grichuk’s RBI double in the 10th inning.
Grichuk, back in centre field with George Springer opening the season on the injured list, ripped a liner off Nick Nelson over Judge’s head in right to bring home Jonathan Davis, running in place of Rowdy Tellez at second base to open extra frame.
Julian Merryweather, the fifth Blue Jays reliever of the afternoon, got the ball in the bottom half and caught Aaron Hicks looking and then got both Giancarlo Stanton and Torres swinging.
The Blue Jays, in the second opening day since COVID-19 capsized everyday life, went toe-to-toe with the Yankees before a crowd at 20 per cent capacity, the divisional rivals providing three hours and 44 minutes of masterpiece theatre.
Ryu, discombobulating the Yankees by picking the plate apart with his fastball and changeup, delivered the same 5.1-inning, two-run pitching line as Cole, who struck out eight by shoving a fastball sitting at 96.8 m.p.h. and an array of sliders down the Blue Jays’ throats.
Consecutive singles by Hernandez, Guerrero and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. opened the scoring in the second and the Yankees responded in the bottom half when Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer.
Things stayed there until Hernandez crushed a middle-middle slider from Cole deep to left.
The Blue Jays then survived tight-rope walks in the seventh and ninth innings.
