Toronto Blue Jays

[T-Bone]

Way to go, @BlueJays! Best of luck in the ALDS! #ComeTogether #ClinchDay pic.twitter.com/R987P8bJrU

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) September 30, 2015

[Will]

Kawasaki was plastered during the celebration. Unfortunately for him he has to play at noon.

[T-Bone]

Kawasaki was plastered during the celebration. Unfortunately for him he has to play at noon.

He is a character. Looks like he had a great time:

I absolutely had to take this picture. @bluejays pic.twitter.com/LFYVMy3g95

— Stephen R Brooks (@sbrooksbaseball) October 1, 2015

[tennyis]

Huge win for the Blue Jays and city of Toronto!

[Mookie Fan]

So the Blue Jays decided to celebrate like they have won a championship (and possibly get hungover). The team then decides to rest almost all of their starting players for two games in a row, and have now lost their two game lead over Kansas City for best record in the American League. They are now tied. Toronto owns the tiebreaker. This still means the Jays may have to win all three games against Tampa Bay in Tampa Bay to clinch first in the American League. That's far from likely, given that Tampa is better than their record would indicate. They also are happy to play spoiler and are the team that always gives Toronto the most trouble, especially in Tampa Bay. I realize the Jays have played better against them this year, but I wouldn't count on that continuing.

Number one seeds get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This doesn't guarantee anything, but the Jays are just over .500 on the road, and have a way better winning percentage at home.

R.A. Dickey was pulled early from his game Wednesday, despite only having thrown 5 innings and 58 pitches. David Price's start was pushed back one day to Friday, to reduce the number of days between his next start and game 1 of the playoffs. Now the team apparently wants him miss that start and not start again until the playoffs. Unless there is some injury information we are not privy to, this is nuts. Price will go 11 days between starts, and will apparently stay sharp by throwing on the side in the bullpen and throwing a simulated game. How is that any easier on the body than throwing pitches in a game? Why not use him to help win one of the next 3 games? Instead Mark Buehrle will start the next game, and he has struggled late in the season.

If the fear is the risk of injury, well, you can't play every game afraid to have your players hurt. Tampa's stadium is an indoor facility, so there is no risk of bad weather conditions. Also, it's hard to keep your competitive edge without playing. This is baseball, and you can play almost every day. It isn't contact football. The Jays win 15-2, then apparently can't use almost any of their starters for the second game of their double-header against Baltimore and/or Thursday's game. This is despite the fact that many of their players did play a double-header against the Yankees on September 12th. The season isn't over, and if you get complacent and lose your edge during a hot streak, you can't always get it back in time. Then it's too late.

[Will]

I do agree with you for the most part. Home field advantage is something that the Blue Jays ought to secure. As I understand it, the regulars will be back in the lineup for the series against the Rays. Most teams do, however, celebrate fairly hard after winning the division. While you don't see this in hockey, basketball or football when a team wins the division, I suspect it has to do with the fact that for a long time baseball had very few playoff teams so that made it an accomplishment. The fact that it was a doubleheader also complicated things as did the fact that yesterday's game was moved back from 7:07 to 12:07 due to weather.

[jerrym]

As soon as the unending hallelujah chorus hits the TV screen over the Blue Jays finishing first during the last two weeks, I switch to another channel. It's not that I mind their winning, it just seems that little else is covered in the news let alone the sports, even out here in Vancouver.

[Scooter McCray]

As soon as the unending hallelujah chorus hits the TV screen over the Blue Jays finishing first during the last two weeks, I switch to another channel. It's not that I mind their winning, it just seems that little else is covered in the news let alone the sports, even out here in Vancouver.

The Blue Jays unending champagne celebration without having won a damn thing yet has cost them home field to KC. They get Texas no pushover rather than WC winner. Can you imagine Milanovich of any of the players celebrating having finished first? I don't get baseball players.

[1argoholic]

I remember back in the day when I was a huge Jays fan. They were playing KC in the 85 playoffs, I believe that was the year. My buddy got tickets given to him for one game and I got tics given to me for another. The Jays were up 2-1 As I recall and crapped the two games and lost out. I really don't give a crap what happens to them now. I have ZERO interest.

Just googled the MLB 1985 playoff results to refresh my memory. The Jays had a 3-1 lead and crapped it. I know we saw two of those loses.

[1argoholic]

Jays are pretty much DONE at this point. It'll be some sort of major miracle to win this series now. I watched the extra innings and they were letting the ump get to them. I haven't seriously watched MLB in years. I thought pine tar was illegal now? What was the black crap all over many of the Rangers helmets? Please don't tell me it's chew? They look like a real nasty bunch.

Well at least Rogers filled their pockets even more which is what they truly care about. If they go down three straight that will be classified as a royal CHOKE! That'll be it for this group.

[Argo57]

Jays are pretty much DONE at this point. It'll be some sort of major miracle to win this series now. I watched the extra innings and they were letting the ump get to them. I haven't seriously watched MLB in years. I thought pine tar was illegal now? What was the black crap all over many of the Rangers helmets? Please don't tell me it's chew? They look like a real nasty bunch.

Well at least Rogers filled their pockets even more which is what they truly care about. If they go down three straight that will be classified as a royal CHOKE! That'll be it for this group.

As I have stated before grew up a huge Jays fan as well but haven't been to interested in baseball for the better part of 20 years, hoped they would do well in the playoffs but so far they are doing their best Toronto Raptors imitation.
Agree with you Argoholic it is pretty much over for them, at least the Argonauts have won 4 World Championships since the Jays last won.

[argonaut11xx]

Jays are pretty much DONE at this point. It'll be some sort of major miracle to win this series now. I watched the extra innings and they were letting the ump get to them. I haven't seriously watched MLB in years. I thought pine tar was illegal now? What was the black crap all over many of the Rangers helmets? Please don't tell me it's chew? They look like a real nasty bunch.

Well at least Rogers filled their pockets even more which is what they truly care about. If they go down three straight that will be classified as a royal CHOKE! That'll be it for this group.

KARMA...you said it best .....

[gilthethrill]

This is what happens when a team has to play quality competition for a change.

[AngeloV]

This is what happens when a team has to play quality competition for a change.

This is what happens when a team has massive celebrations for basically winning nothing but a playoff spot. You don't see that happening in any other sport, and the Blue Jays did it twice within a few days.

[1argoholic]

They honestly thought along with most of their fans that they'd walk right though everyone until they won it all. Sunday will show what they are made of. Win and you have a slim shot, lose and it proves you can't buy a team ROGERS.

Sometimes I'm actually very surprised that I care so little about a team I used to love. Hell the night Carter hit his big home run I was in Sacramento watching the Argos lose. So I guess it's been a while since I gave a crap.

[Will]

If you want to buy into some great supernatural power afflicting the Blue Jays then go ahead. But, most MLB teams do go overboard on celebrations when clinching a playoff spot. It probably has historical origins since the amount of playoff teams have always been small.

No, what is really affecting the Blue Jays is the ability to play the small ball that is sometimes necessary to win in the post-season. You can get by in the regular season with the mentality of hitting a home run every time at the plate, but you cannot do that in the post-season. In 1992 and 1993 the Blue Jays had your power hitters, but also had your guys who hit for average. This team hits a ton of home runs, but did not have the exceptionally high batting averages that some of the guys in '92 and '93 did.

[Argo57]

If you want to buy into some great supernatural power afflicting the Blue Jays then go ahead. But, most MLB teams do go overboard on celebrations when clinching a playoff spot. It probably has historical origins since the amount of playoff teams have always been small.

No, what is really affecting the Blue Jays is the ability to play the small ball that is sometimes necessary to win in the post-season. You can get by in the regular season with the mentality of hitting a home run every time at the plate, but you cannot do that in the post-season. In 1992 and 1993 the Blue Jays had your power hitters, but also had your guys who hit for average. This team hits a ton of home runs, but did not have the exceptionally high batting averages that some of the guys in '92 and '93 did.

I was sceptical when the media started with the comparisons with the 92-93 teams, wishful thinking I'm afraid, this Jays team is not even close.
The World Series Jays teams had a good mix of youth and Hall of Fame veterans (Winfield, Molitor, Henderson) as well as Jack Morris.
Pat Gillick was a genius in building those Jays teams and I believe is still the greatest GM that any Toronto sports franchise has ever had.
I grew up a huge Jays fan from day one and enjoyed the journey from 1977 to the World Series teams and wouldn't have minded seeing them do well this playoff but like 1argoholic I really don't care either way.
The only team I truly have any emotional investment in is the Toronto Argonauts, I remember in the early 1980's as a teen truly being bummed out during the week after a loss (that hasn't changed to be honest).

[1argoholic]

Karma has squat to do with supernatural. It just happens. Rogers has brought on the bad Karma and the Jays have lost their Mojo. hahaha.

[T-Bone]

Karma has squat to do with supernatural. It just happens. Rogers has brought on the bad Karma and the Jays have lost their Mojo. hahaha.

Ok. If the Argos get knocked out durning the playoffs I'll blame it on the negative karma towards the Blue Jays by some around here then.

[ArgoRavi]

I thought it a bit odd when Bautista left the 9th inning of the first game because his hamstring was tight. I am surprised that more wasn't made about that in the media. It is the playoffs and you leave a game at a crucial time because your hamstring is tight? That makes me wonder just how badly the Jays want to progress through these playoffs or was just making the playoffs good enough for the players on this team?