ALDS 2016: 5 reasons Blue Jays will win

 1. No one feeds on emotion like the Blue Jays

It’s hard to imagine many baseball fans outside of Toronto are in love with the Blue Jays or their fans. Last season’s resurgence by the Jays brought out baseball fans who suddenly discovered an interest in baseball after years of deathly quiet seasons at the Rogers Centre. Then, they pelted the field with beer cans after a controversial call in last year’s ALDS. Hyun Soo Kim nearly got hit with another bottle in the Wild Card Game. Then Adam Jones was pelted with racial epithets after defending his teammate.

On the field, Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista seem to take offense with every pitch that nearly grazes their massive elbow pads. Displays of emotion by opposing players are met with a sneer and retaliation, but the Blue Jays preen like few other teams in the history of baseball. They are currently without one of their best relievers because he tore a calf muscle while rushing the field during a machismo fueled benches-clearing brawl during the final week of the season.

The Blue Jays have become baseball’s version of the WWE heel, and they love it.

When the intensity is at its highest, the crowds at their loudest, and the game is on the line, it would be silly not to bet on Jose Bautista or Josh Donaldson. Fiery guys in the ‘pen like Jason Grilli or Roberto Osuna feed on the pressure of a big out in a tight ballgame. The Blue Jays will get two games at home in front of nearly 50,000 fans who are not quite ready to think about another dismal season of Maple Leafs hockey. It’s going to be wild, it’s going to be crazy, and no one thrives in that environment more than the Toronto Blue Jays.