After every Blue Jays series, this Canadian will sum up his five stars of the set and throw in my two cents (worth .015 US).
As a Canadian who just moved to Seattle from Winnipeg, Manitoba, I am excited to see my beloved Blue Jays live again, albeit in enemy territory. Growing up near Toronto, I developed a deep fondness for the Jays, which goes all the way back to the days of the infamous Exhibition Stadium. Despite its magical aura to my preteen eyes, the stadium was actually a disaster of a diamond. Initially built for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, the stadium’s sightlines were atrocious, the ambiance was flat, and even in the late 70s/early 80s, it looked second-rate. However, despite its shortcomings, the stadium still holds a special place in the hearts of many Canadians who remember it fondly.
I am one of them.
I wish I could have been in “The Six” in the revamped Rogers Center for their homestand against the Rockies. I was excited about the opportunity for the Jays to pound on the team that was projected to be the worst in 2024. It didn’t start that way.
Toronto won the series but lost the opener due to Kevin Gausman’s latest poor performance. Gausman allowed ten Hits and six Earned Runs over only 3.2 Innings. The Jays lost 12-4 with 20 Hits surrendered, and Gausman now owns a bloated ERA of 11.57. Toronto won the next two to secure their second straight series win, but despite this, the Jays are still dead last in the American League East. However, as I always say, the beer can is half-full, and Toronto climbed back to .500.
Here are my five Blue Jays stars of the series.
Jose Berrios, 1 W, 7 IP, 0.00 ERA, 7 SO, 0.57 WHIP: Berrios is on fire this year, with every start better than the one before. Pitching seven shutout frames, Berrios collected his third win, dropping his ERA to 1.05 and WHIP to 0.97.
Yariel Rodriguez, 1 G, 3.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 6 SO, 1.64 WHIP: Cuban-born Pitcher Yariel Rodriguez made his Major League debut, replacing Bowden Francis in the rotation. Rodriguez, who began the year in Triple-A Buffalo, did his job, setting up the Jays for the win.
George Springer, 3 R, 5 H, 0 XBH, 0 HR, 0 RBI .417/.417/..417/.834: Springer has not shown the statistics yet, but has not been playing bad by any means. The leadoff man raised his Batting Average over .200 from the series, ad stole the only base for the Jays this series.
Justin Turner, 1 R, 4 H, 1 XBH, 0 HR, 4 RBI .667/.714/.714/1.428: Turner continues to prove his worth and remains by far the best hitter in Toronto’s 2024 lineup. He went three-for-three in the series with runners in scoring position.
Daulton Varsho, 2 R, 3 H, 1 XBH, 1 HR, 5 RBI .375/.375/1.125/1.500: In the second game of the series, Varsho smacked a grand slam with two outs in the first to give Toronto a 5-0 lead. That was enough for Toronto to win the game and enough to earn one of my five stars.
Honourable mentions for Alejandro Kirk 0 R, 2 H, 0 XBH, 0 HR, 0 RBI .250/.500/0.500/1.000. Yimi Garcia 1 G, 1 Save, 1.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 SO, 0.00 WHIP. Davis Schneider 1 R, 3 H, 1 XBH, 0 HR, 1 RBI .667/.800/1.000/1.800.
Up next, Toronto welcomes the New York Yankees for three games starting Monday. This is the first time that Toronto has played a second series against, and an excellent opportunity to gain ground on the division leader.
Until then, touch them all!
