Twenty-two years ago this October, Joe Carter lined a walk-off homerun in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series to secure the Toronto Blue Jays’ second straight championship. For 22 years, that was the last taste of playoff baseball that Toronto had experienced. But now, after many years of frustration and failure, Canada’s only major league baseball team has qualified for the playoffs once again. This is thanks largely to an incredible second half turnaround which has seen the Blue Jays boast the best record in the MLB since the All-Star break. That turnaround was helped by the additions of former Cy Young winner David Price and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who is widely considered to be the best all-around shortstop in baseball.
At the time of writing, the Jays have secured at least the top Wild Card spot, but they seem poised to win the American League East thanks to a number of factors.
Hitting was never the problem for the Jays this season. They have consistently had the best lineup in baseball this year and have scored an impressive 848 runs, leading the second place team by 113. To put that into perspective, only three other teams can say they have scored even 700 runs. The Blue Jays’ fearsome lineup boasts three of the six players in baseball this season that have hit 35 home runs and driven in 100. Those three players—Josh Donaldson, José Bautista, and Edwin Encarnación—are also among the top four players in baseball, in terms of runs driven in this season. MVP frontrunner Josh Donaldson has been the catalyst all season long, with 41 home runs and 122 runs driven in. Twenty-seven of those home runs have also given the Blue Jays the lead or tied the game, showing how consistent he has been all season long. While Donaldson has been outstanding, others have also provided major contributions: catcher Russell Martin has hit a career high of 22 homeruns, for example. The offence has been historically good all year, but the Blue Jays couldn’t have won more than 90 games with just their offence.
Until the All-Star break, the Blue Jays had gone through trial and error with their pitching staff. They had already lost Marcus Stroman for what everyone thought would be the whole season, their starting rotation was in disarray, and Brett Cecil (whom everyone expected to be the closer) wasn’t performing. However, all that started to change, which contributed greatly to the amazing turnaround. R.A. Dickey found his knuckleball and has only lost one game since the All-Star break. Marco Estrada was moved to the rotation, where he thrived and quietly became one of the Jays’ best starters. Mark Buehrle continued to give the Jays quality innings as well.
However, the whole pitching staff was completely changed at the trade deadline. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired ace David Price along with relievers Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins. Price has been exceptional for the Jays down the stretch. He has only lost one game during his time in Toronto—while only allowing three runs that day—and has beaten the New York Yankees in his four starts against them. This has been especially crucial for the Jays’ success, since New York have been Toronto’s nemesis throughout the season. Crucial as well has been the unexpected return of Marcus Stroman, who made three starts in September, winning all three and allowing only four runs combined. Twenty-year-old Roberto Osuna has been exceptionally consistent in the role of closer, relievers Hawkins and Lowe have also stepped in to make huge contributions, and Brett Cecil has found his touch again.
Another element that has been exceptional for the Jays all season has been their defence. On top of his outstanding contributions at the plate, Russell Martin has been a rock at catcher this season. He has thrown out 44% of would-be base stealers, which leads Major League Baseball by a wide margin. Kevin Pillar has been a highlight reel all season in the outfield, and Ryan Goins and Troy Tulowitzki have played exceptionally well at second base and shortstop respectively. Additionally, Josh Donaldson has made some exceptional barehanded plays at third base. Ben Revere, another trade deadline acquisition, has also helped stabilize the left field position for Toronto.
Clearly the Blue Jays had the elements necessary to be a contending team, but with some of the trade deadline acquisitions they have been launched to another level and are poised to win their first division title in 22 years.
*All statistics accurate as of Sunday, September 27th
