Blue Jays Take Care of Business, Yankees, Red Sox Spoil the Party

The Toronto Blue Jays did everything they needed to but still came up short in their march to Major League Baseball’s 2021 postseason. Pounding the Baltimore Orioles in all three games of the season-ending mini-series from Rogers Centre, the Jays put up 28 runs to Baltimore’s eight.

Toronto needed to win all three games and did so. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get Canada’s team into the postseason, or a bid for the American League Wildcard game, that is.

With 16 different advancement scenarios – including that of a potential game No. 163 – all of the Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were battling for a place in the Wildcard game. With Toronto having won its first two games of the three-game series with Baltimore, it entered the game at 90-71 on the season.

Relying on its bats, as it has for the majority of the 2021 season, the Jays saw homers from Vladdy Guerrero Jr. and George Springer (two) in the afternoon matinee, while receiving solid starting pitching from Hyun-Jin Ryu, once again.

With their game being the first of the four to come to an end, the Blue Jays’ roster watched in the home clubhouse as the Mariners fell 7-3 to the Los Angeles Angels, finishing 90-72, out of a potential Wildcard battle. But that is where the luck ran out for Canada’s team.

New York, working on a 0-0 game at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, saw a walk-off solo shot from outfielder Aaron Judge in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the 92-70 Yankees a berth in the A.L. Wildcard game.

The Jays’ lone flicker of hope then came down to a Red Sox loss in Boston’s road battle with the 65-97 Washington Nationals. With the game tied at fives through eight innings, Toronto saw its season come to an end at the hands of a two-run bomb from Boston’s Rafael Devers, giving the Red Sox an eventual 7-5 victory, sending the team to an American dream matchup against New York on Tuesday evening.

Around FPC

NFL: Ogbah, Howard Need to Take Advantage of Colts Injuries Sunday

NFL: Buccaneers Sign Cornerback Richard Sherman

NFL: The Braves Clinched The East; Tatis Jr. Should Win NL MVP

NHL: Mackenzie Blackwood Puts Team In Devilish Situation

Wrestling: WWE Draft: 3 Best & 3 Worst Picks From The 2020 WWE Draft

PODCAST: FPC Radio LIVE -9/28 – NFL Week 3 Recap; Quarterback Power Rankings

Although holding their weight in the final series of the season, Toronto’s downfall came by way of a couple of unfortunate losses to the 73-89 Minnesota Twins in late September, followed by a shellacking from the Yankees in two out of three games in the team’s final series between the American League rivals.

Finishing with a 91-71 record that would typically bring about a playoff showing, or at least a Wildcard appearance, the way the division’s final standings played out was heartbreaking for a team that seemingly beat the odds. The Jays played out of three ‘home’ ballparks on the season, battled a number of significant injuries, all while operating under a clubhouse manager whose in-game decision-making proved to be inconsistent and questionable, at best.

The team’s stars did their part, with starting pitcher Robbie Ray putting in his bid for the American League Cy Young award. The first-year Jay put up a league-leading 2.84 ERA on the season and 1.04 WHIP in a league-high 193.1 innings pitched. He finished second in opponent’s batting average (.210), while ending the year with a 13-7 record.

Toronto’s offence, on the other hand, was on a whole other level. Setting multiple franchise records, including total home runs scored, also saw many individual players putting up sensational numbers. Second baseman Marcus Semien set an MLB single-season record for most home runs by a player in his position with 44.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied the MLB lead with 48 home runs (Salvador Perez), while setting a record for the most homers from a player in his age-22 season. He also lead the Majors in runs scored (123) and total bases (363) while leading A.L. in OPS (1.002). Despite this, Guerrero was not pleased with the season outcome.

“Personally, I’m not satisfied with anything,” he said post-game. “Because the fact that we didn’t make the playoffs, which is obviously my personal goal. Next year, I want to keep working very hard. Just to get better next year.”

In a year that saw management pick up Springer, Ray, Semien and Stephen Matz, the Jays fell just short of expectations, failing to make it to the postseason, but proving that there is much left in the tank in what has been a tremendous rebuild. Offseason priorities will certainly include that of getting both Ray and Semien re-signed to new deals, should management find a way to make some room, financially. With an entire winter season ahead to sort out of the roster for 2022, next season’s Blue Jays will certainly be back, and back with gumption.