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For the Blue Jays, the slog and sheer monotony of baseball’s marathon season boils down to 1 sport and one shot of incomes the franchise’s first AL East title in a decade.
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Technically, the Jays enter Sunday’s regular-season finale with two probabilities to say the division.
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The front-door path includes a win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, a pesky group that has dropped the opening two video games of the collection to the Jays, together with Saturday’s 5-1 end result.
The again door might be discovered within the Bronx the place the New York Yankees wrap up their collection towards the Baltimore Orioles after the Pinstripers took the opening two video games of the collection.
Because the Jays maintain the tiebreaker over the Yankees, the Jays don’t essentially must win Sunday if the Orioles can topple the Bronx Bombers, an unlikely situation given how New York has been launching residence runs.
Jays win Sunday and the AL East title can be gained for the reason that days of Joey Bats.
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In different phrases, the Jays’ magic quantity is one.
Momentum is clearly on Toronto’s facet having gained three in a row coming into the season finale.
When all the pieces regarded so bleak as early as final week when a as soon as five-game lead had evaporated, the Jays used a six-run inning highlighted by a Daulton Varsho grand slam to win the collection finale towards the visiting Boston Red Sox.
Keep in thoughts that if the Jays occur to win the East, and likelihood is they may with workers ace Kevin Gausman on the mound, they’ll be in the identical playoff bracket with the Yankees and BoSox.
The Jays have by no means met both group within the postseason.
As entertaining as this yr’s season has been, it’s going to quickly pale as compared.
The following are three takeaways on a day the Jays would by no means path despite Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose prolonged stretch of futility continued, together with an 0-for-4 day that includes three groundouts and a feeble strikeout.
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1. Trey bien
In his first residence begin and third over in his temporary time within the large leagues, Trey Yesavage had the look of rookie, however he additionally regarded like he belonged on this stage.
How the Jays handle the 22-year-old within the postseason stays one of many many selections the membership must wrestle with when the video games turn out to be much more significant.
The child throws exhausting and his splitter is difficult to hit.
Saturday marked the second time the Rays had confronted Yesavage, whose MLB debut got here in Tampa.
The Rays left two runners on base within the first, stranded the bases loaded within the third and had been just about uncompetitive towards Yesavage within the second when the right-hander retired the facet so as.
His pitch depend turned considerably of a difficulty by 4 innings when Yesavage reached 75 pitches.
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Third time by the order and Yesavage would surrender a leadoff double to Chandler Simpson within the fifth.
The Jays, although, caught a break when Simpson slid previous the bag making an attempt to advance on a sac fly for the second out.
Yesavage ended the inning on a strikeout, his fifth, on his 94th pitch on the afternoon.
It was the ultimate pitch the child would toss.
Saturday was by far Yesavage’s best outing and with none doubt essentially the most stress he confronted.
It could be silly if the Jays don’t begin Yesavage within the postseason.
The leash may be quick, however he’s proven to be a weapon and has clearly proven he belongs on the playoff roster.
The child earned his first win because the Jays remained unbeaten when Yesavage makes a begin.
2. Seven card dud not
With Alejandro Kirk scuffling on the plate, it was no shock to see his title within the No. 7 gap in Toronto’s lineup.
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He did begin behind the plate.
The toll of a protracted season may be behind Kirk’s struggles, but it surely’s by no means encouraging for somebody identified for good at-bats is out of the blue producing feeble plate appearances.
Toronto’s backside of the order was answerable for the group’s first three runs, a two-run double by Ernie Clement and an RBI single by Andres Gimenez.
The method Kirk is swinging the bat, he needs to be hitting ninth.
He struck out in his first at-bat after hanging out twice Friday.
Kirk entered Saturday on a six-game hitless slide.
His final residence run got here three weeks in the past in Cincinnati.
With one swing of the bat, Kirk re-emerged when he obliterated the primary pitch he noticed to leadoff the seventh inning on a rocket he despatched deep into left subject.
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When his timing on the plate is in sync, Kirk’s swing is nearly as good because it will get.
It was in his third at-bat Saturday when his thirteenth residence run of the season went a Statcast-measured 432 toes.
3. Look at Lukes
Nathan Lukes and Clement have gone from bit gamers to on a regular basis regulars.
Clement’s versatility has been showcased within the infield, whereas Lukes has made his mark within the outfield.
And every has come up large on the plate.
For the primary time in additional than a month, Lukes struck out twice in a sport Saturday.
His RBI single within the fifth inning that scored Clement was the sixty fifth of the season for Lukes.
Up subsequent
The 162nd and ultimate sport of the common season merely quantities to crucial sport the Jays will play; the Jays have gained 53 video games at residence, second-most in baseball behind Philadelphia; a 54th win ensures the Jays a bye into the ALDS.
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