So a 5-3 loss to start their first-ever ALDS. Then to lose The Bringer Of Rain And Bautista. However, gotta think positive here, guys. Think back to the glory years. There was trouble in game one(s), too.
Price had his struggles, but at the end of the day, he allowed only five hits. That's a good sign. Okay, the five runs aren't, but the bullpen did the job. Bautista is back for sure for tomorrow, and from the looks of things Josh Donaldson is also going to be back. And we got the red-hot Stroman on the mound. He looks like a Juan Guzman clone, I say. Just think if he pitches in the postseason like Juan Guzman. Or Dave Stewart.
But really, it's game one. Yesterday, I mentioned how Toronto lost the first game at home in the 1991, 1992, and 1993 ALCS. The last two times it happened, they came back to win. Toronto also lost game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, yet came back to win.
Poor Jack Morris. He trotted out to the mound in game one of the 1992 American League Championship Series vs. Oakland, primed to add to his 21-win season. Think David Price's 18 wins, it was supposed to give him the edge.
But Morris faltered early. The Athletics were minus Jose Canseco in this ALCS, but wasted no time in getting to Jack. Morris was 7-1 in the postseason coming in, but that didn't seem to matter. Mark McGwire and Terry Steinbach hit back-to-back home runs off him in the top of the second, McGwire's a two-run shot. So it was 3-0. Toronto's big bats took over as Jack held Oakland at bay until the ninth.
Pat Borders, who'd win the MVP in the Fall Classic that year, hit a home run of his own in the bottom of the fifth off Dave Stewart, who was not yet a Toronto Blue Jays. Dave Winfield hit one the next inning, and suddenly it was 3-2. Stewart's night ended in the bottom of the eighth as Winfield hit a double off him. Jeff Russel came in to face John Olerud. Olerud, who'd be clutch all postseason long, hit a single on a 2-2 pitch to tie it.
But all that came undone in the ninth as Harold Baines took Morris out of the park in the ninth. Oakland got one last hit, and so did Toronto in their half of the ninth. Neither produced a run. The Blue Jays had out-hit the mighty A's 9-6, but still lost, 4-3.
Toronto went on to win in six games. For game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, the Blue Jays turned to Morris, which seemed like a no-brainer. Their opposition, the Atlanta Braves, had struggled with Jack in the 1991 World Series. Morris had their number. 1.17 ERA in three starts.
And for five innings in game one, it was more of the same. It was in Atlanta, but Jack didn't care. Joe Carter hit a home run to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Morris looked strong. He had the shutout going. And a one-hitter.
Terry Pendleton went down to start the sixth. But here's where the wheels came off the chariot. A walk to Dave Justice, a single by Sid Bream. Ron Gant hit into a fielder's choice, and there was two down. Maybe Jack would get out of this.
It looked like it. Morris faced Damon Berryhill. Gant stole second to put both runners in scoring position, but Jack got ahead in the count, which was the smart thing to do in these situations. But on a 1-2 pitch to Damon, Jack threw a splitter that didn't dip. Berryhill hit it out of the park, giving the Braves a 3-1 win. Jack and hit bullpen pals kept Toronto in the hunt and finished the game on a combined four-hitter. However, Atlanta's Tom Glavine allowed nothing other than the Carter home run. He finished with a 3-1 win, and a four-hitter of his own.
But again, Toronto proved to be a resilient bunch. As was the case in the ALCS that year, four of the next five games went to the Blue Jays. Today's gang isn't quite the 1992 or 1993 team. But they have the bats and the pitching. Game one of this American League Division Series was a wake up call for Toronto. New ballgame, here in the playoffs. But Toronto has bounces back all year. Just like the 1992 and 1993 squads did.
References
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (08 Oct., 2015).
"MLB.com Gameday." MLB.com Gameday. 8 Oct. 2015. Web. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1&partnerId=LR_box#game=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1,game_tab=play-by-play,game_state=Wrapup (08 Oct. 2015).
Price had his struggles, but at the end of the day, he allowed only five hits. That's a good sign. Okay, the five runs aren't, but the bullpen did the job. Bautista is back for sure for tomorrow, and from the looks of things Josh Donaldson is also going to be back. And we got the red-hot Stroman on the mound. He looks like a Juan Guzman clone, I say. Just think if he pitches in the postseason like Juan Guzman. Or Dave Stewart.
But really, it's game one. Yesterday, I mentioned how Toronto lost the first game at home in the 1991, 1992, and 1993 ALCS. The last two times it happened, they came back to win. Toronto also lost game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, yet came back to win.
Poor Jack Morris. He trotted out to the mound in game one of the 1992 American League Championship Series vs. Oakland, primed to add to his 21-win season. Think David Price's 18 wins, it was supposed to give him the edge.
But Morris faltered early. The Athletics were minus Jose Canseco in this ALCS, but wasted no time in getting to Jack. Morris was 7-1 in the postseason coming in, but that didn't seem to matter. Mark McGwire and Terry Steinbach hit back-to-back home runs off him in the top of the second, McGwire's a two-run shot. So it was 3-0. Toronto's big bats took over as Jack held Oakland at bay until the ninth.
Pat Borders, who'd win the MVP in the Fall Classic that year, hit a home run of his own in the bottom of the fifth off Dave Stewart, who was not yet a Toronto Blue Jays. Dave Winfield hit one the next inning, and suddenly it was 3-2. Stewart's night ended in the bottom of the eighth as Winfield hit a double off him. Jeff Russel came in to face John Olerud. Olerud, who'd be clutch all postseason long, hit a single on a 2-2 pitch to tie it.
But all that came undone in the ninth as Harold Baines took Morris out of the park in the ninth. Oakland got one last hit, and so did Toronto in their half of the ninth. Neither produced a run. The Blue Jays had out-hit the mighty A's 9-6, but still lost, 4-3.
Toronto went on to win in six games. For game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, the Blue Jays turned to Morris, which seemed like a no-brainer. Their opposition, the Atlanta Braves, had struggled with Jack in the 1991 World Series. Morris had their number. 1.17 ERA in three starts.
And for five innings in game one, it was more of the same. It was in Atlanta, but Jack didn't care. Joe Carter hit a home run to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Morris looked strong. He had the shutout going. And a one-hitter.
Terry Pendleton went down to start the sixth. But here's where the wheels came off the chariot. A walk to Dave Justice, a single by Sid Bream. Ron Gant hit into a fielder's choice, and there was two down. Maybe Jack would get out of this.
It looked like it. Morris faced Damon Berryhill. Gant stole second to put both runners in scoring position, but Jack got ahead in the count, which was the smart thing to do in these situations. But on a 1-2 pitch to Damon, Jack threw a splitter that didn't dip. Berryhill hit it out of the park, giving the Braves a 3-1 win. Jack and hit bullpen pals kept Toronto in the hunt and finished the game on a combined four-hitter. However, Atlanta's Tom Glavine allowed nothing other than the Carter home run. He finished with a 3-1 win, and a four-hitter of his own.
But again, Toronto proved to be a resilient bunch. As was the case in the ALCS that year, four of the next five games went to the Blue Jays. Today's gang isn't quite the 1992 or 1993 team. But they have the bats and the pitching. Game one of this American League Division Series was a wake up call for Toronto. New ballgame, here in the playoffs. But Toronto has bounces back all year. Just like the 1992 and 1993 squads did.
References
Gamester,
George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To
The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major
League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/.
Web. (08 Oct., 2015).
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (08 Oct., 2015).
"MLB.com Gameday." MLB.com Gameday. 8 Oct. 2015. Web. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1&partnerId=LR_box#game=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1,game_tab=play-by-play,game_state=Wrapup (08 Oct. 2015).
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