Saturday, October 24, 2015

LCS: Did You Know?

The year that "Back To The Future Part 2" was released, 1989, the Blue Jays and Cubs were the losers to San Fran and Oakland. In 2015, the year that movie takes place, both lost again in the League Championship Series. The games totaled ten in 1989, and again in 2015. However, unlike '89, the Cubs failed to win a game. The Cubs and Jays were a different team in 2015. As was their LCS results.

Chicago, as mentioned yesterday, got swept by the New York Mets this year. In 1989, they managed to win game two, but that was it.

Toronto had little luck against Oakland that year. The A's won the first two games at home, then came to the SkyDome for more. They got beaten 7-3 in game three, which was a surprise. Toronto managed to keep it close the next two, but it was Oakland that was off to the Fall Classic.

Toronto came back from 2-0 down to beat Texas in their very first American League Division Series appearance. But against the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, things were different.

Like Oakland had in '89, Kansas won the first two games at home. The first game saw Edinson Volquez and company on the hill, shutout the Blue Jays on a fine combined three-hitter. Toronto had the lead in game two, and seemed poised to take it back home all tied up. However, a Royal comeback ensued in the bottom of the seventh against the Jays' ace, David Price. Price had been crusing along. However, KC crossed the plate five times in that inning to erase a 3-0 Blue Jay lead. Toronto was heading home and needed some offence.

They got it in game three, an 11-8 slugfest which Toronto won. However, it was Kansas that knocked out RA Dickey early in game four, to squash any hopes of a tie series again. The Royals didn't take the pedal off the metal, as they scored four in the seventh, three in the eighth, and another two for the road in the ninth. The 14-2 loss by the Jays put them behind the 8-ball. Would they lose game five at home like in 1989 and 1991? Or lose it at home, period, for the third time in their history of the ALCS? It was Kansas that won game seven (Having won game six, too) at old Exhibition Stadium in 1985.

No, sir, said Marco Estrada.

Estrada went out there and pitched a gem. The first six innings, he faced eighteen batters. He surrendered a single in the top of the fourth, but it was erased via a double play. In the seventh, he faced four batters because of only a walk. The Royals had not scored a run at this point. The Blue Jays?

Well, they only touched home once all game though six, but with Estrada doing so well, it seemed like enough. Just to ensure that it was back to Kansas for a game six, Toronto scored four times in the bottom of the sixth. A walk, a hit by a pitch, and two more walks made it 2-0. Troy Tulowitzki drove home three more with a double.

The Jays outscored the Royals 2-1 from there for good measure, as they salted away a 7-1 win which they looked like the better team in all facets of the game. Would it carry over to game six?

Price got another start, and pitched well. Just three runs scored against him and Dave was in command all game long, finishing with 8 K's. However, other than a Jose Bautista solo shot, Toronto was not scoring. They finished the game 0-12, batting with runner's in scoring position.

But they 3-1 KC lead was erased in the top of the eighth by another home run by Joey Bats. Only this was scored two. The Royals brought in their big ace reliever, Wade Davis (8-1, 17, 0.94), to stop the bleeding. Davis, who's 2014 (9-2, 3, 1.00) season made my list, was on there hill with one out, and was no doubt going to finish this thing. At least pitch the ninth.

With Edwin Encarnacion on after reaching via a walk (Not off Davis), Wade went into god-mode, again. While he threw a wild pitch that moved Encarnacion into scoring position, he got the two outs to keep the game tied at three.

The Blue Jays seemed to catch a break as the game entered a rain delay. Davis wouldn't be able to return right? Well, when they all came back at 11:45 at night on this Friday, Roberto Osuna, the Toronto closer, was on to pitch the ninth. The Royals promptly scored a run off him, and had two on with only one out. Roberto got a double play to keep the damage at just one run. Could the Jays comeback?

It looked liked it. Davis stayed in. Russell Martin, Toronto's #7 man in the lineup, greeted the returning KC pitcher with a single. Dalton Pompey came on to run. A stolen base, and the Jays were in business. Pompey then swiped third. Tying run, ninety feet away. A hit or a fly ties it, as does an error, a wild pitch or a passed ball. Davis had thrown one already, however.

Kevin Pillar walked, and now the go-ahead run was at first. Dioner Navarro was sent up to bat for Ryan Goins. Davis fanned him, but as he did, Pillar stole Toronto's third base of the half inning to eliminate any chance of someone grounding into a double play.

Ben Revere batted and Davis threw a strike to him that he didn't agree with. I didn't either. Getting ahead in the count by Davis meant Revere had to protect the plate. Davis fanned him. Two down. When Josh Donaldson grounded to third, it was all over. 4-3 to Kansas in the game, 4-2 Kansas in the series.

Toronto had taken a tough loss, and joined the Cubs on the sidelines. Each team had won back-to-back World Series' at some point, but that is where the comparison ends. Chicago's was in 1907-08 and Toronto's was 1992-93. One thing they still have in common is seeking their first World Crown the next year. How about a World Series in 2016 between the Cubbies and Jays? You're on, says you!


References


Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. Print. 

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (24 Oct. 2015)

Retrosheet.  http://www.retrosheet.org/ .Web. (24 Oct. 2015)

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web (24 Oct. 2015). <https://en.wikipedia.org>.

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