The pear-shaped Captain Kirk makes Blue Jays historical past

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There is not any image extra descriptive of this nice and nonetheless gorgeous Blue Jays season than the photograph of the unusually formed catcher named Alejandro Kirk.

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He doesn’t look very like knowledgeable athlete. He’s not very tall. He’s not very trim. He doesn’t run notably effectively. He’s under no circumstances pure.

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But now he’s a determine for the baseball ages in Toronto. At the highest of any listing with the best of Blue Jays performances. His house runs Sunday afternoon didn’t win the World Series the way in which the Joe Carter blast did 32 years in the past. His house runs didn’t include any sort of bat flip, the way in which the still-famous Jose Bautista did in 2015.

Maybe he ought to have flipped the bat after the second homer, which restored the Jays’ four-run cushion within the fifth inning in opposition to the Tampa Bay Rays, however that wouldn’t be Kirk.

That would get him seen. That would get him consideration. And even because the loopy champagne spray flowed within the hallway outdoors the Jays clubhouse into the early night, Kirk moved strategically from celebration to celebration, virtually attempting to keep away from being the centre of consideration or being essentially the most soaked of these sporting Blue Jays colors.

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Who has had an even bigger recreation than Kirk had Sunday as a Blue Jay? Who has hit two house runs, knocked in six on the ultimate day of the season when all that was at stake was first place within the American League East.

The first first-place end in 10 years. The seventh time in membership historical past profitable a division that features the historic groups such because the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. And the massive moments got here off the shortest, widest, least athletic wanting Blue Jays participant.

“I’m so pleased with him,” mentioned Tyler Heineman, the veteran who backs up Kirk behind the plate. “We all have these goals as youngsters, hitting the massive house run within the huge second. And no person deserves this greater than him.

“He’s our captain (with out official standing). He’s our chief. He rights the ship once we want the ship righted. He may be our most necessary participant. And he desires it a lot for the workforce, for this metropolis. That’s who he’s. And I understand how a lot this implies to him.”

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Kirk doesn’t communicate plenty of English in interviews all through the season or any day for that matter. But there he was Sunday, with champagne spray coming down on his head, answering questions in English as greatest he might.

“I thank God for the whole lot,” mentioned Kirk. “You dream each single evening that one thing like this may occur. You dream … I’m so pleased. For the workforce, for our group, for everyone.

“We’re simply so pleased proper now. You can’t win on this recreation each evening. You can’t do that each evening. We did it immediately.”
Manager John Schneider, who speaking earlier than and after the sport about how proud he’s of the Blue Jays’ selflessness, was once a catcher himself. So he has this comfortable spot — totally different from Kirk’s comfortable spot — for his beginning catcher.

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“He’s a unicorn,” mentioned Schneider. “He doesn’t say so much. He doesn’t essentially get seen so much. But he’s there when the combat begins. That means one thing. He took all of this on himself immediately. With his hits, he mentioned that is our recreation and we’re not giving it again.”

Kevin Gausman couldn’t do what the Jays hoped he might accomplish on the ultimate day of the 162 recreation season. He didn’t have his good things, scuffling with a Tampa Bay lineup he would usually personal. But on the backside of the primary inning, he had a uncommon premonition.

“I had a sense he was going to hit the grand slam,” Gausman mentioned. “I usually don’t assume that means. But I had the sensation he was going to do it.”

And he did. The house run within the first inning. The double within the fourth inning. The two-run house run within the fifth, which modified the rating from an uncomfortable 6-4 to 8-4, and ultimately a 13-4 romp which gave the Jays the division title.

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Now as a substitute of wild-card video games on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday, there’s a house recreation on Saturday in opposition to both the Yankees or the Red Sox on the Rogers Centre. A best-of-five collection. The Jays can now set their roster and their pitching rotation in any order they require. The win Sunday offered that sort of freedom.

“I’ve been right here for 4 years and I’ve heard so much about how nice 2015 was,” mentioned Gausman, who has been right here for 4 years, with Sunday being his 126th begin as a Blue Jay. He is aware of how determined Toronto is, and has been, for a winner. He is aware of there’s an opportunity of that occuring this playoff season. He’s able to put the previous behind him, and if he’s not prepared, his catcher shall be, or the multi-faceted Ernie Clement, or the spectacular and stunning George Springer. There are plenty of transferring elements to the success of this Blue Jays workforce with the perfect file within the American League. The heroes change capes reasonably usually all through the season.

But what occurred on Sunday was historic, memorable and breathtaking and, like a lot about this workforce, it was fully surprising.

We stay on this market with the Carter house run, the Bautista bat flip, the Edwin Encarnacion extra-innings house run, the homers hit by Roberto Alomar and Ed Sprague.Not plenty of moments in 47 years to know on to. There’s been simply sufficient to carry on to all of them.

And now, another. The day Alejandro Kirk made historical past all his personal.

ssimmons@postmedia.com
twitter.com/simmonssteve

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