Just a few short days ago, the Toronto Blue Jays won the ALDS over the New York Yankees in four games. The Blue Jays had a lot of motivation heading into that series, as they've spent far too many years in recent memory as the Yankees little brother. Yet, Toronto won the division this season and the No. 1 seed in the American League. The Jays lineup was on fire heading into their ALCS series against the Seattle Mariners – fresh off a 15-inning affair of their own – but none of it mattered. Toronto lost their first two games at home, and are closing in on a brutal collapse fans north of the border won't forget for a long time.
By all means, the Blue Jays should've won Game 1 against Seattle starter Bryce Miller. Instead, Miller dealt over six innings of one-run ball, his only blemish being a leadoff home run surrendered to George Springer. Miller saved the Seattle bullpen, as well, which only needed to pitch three innings just days after exhausting itself against the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, had four days off in between series and were able to set up their rotation perfectly to face an exhausted Seattle team. Kevin Gausman started Game 1, and gave up just two earned runs in a shade under six innings pitched. However, it was John Schneider's decision to pull Gausman early which sent a clear sign to the Mariners – they could pull off a shocker if their pitching held up. What was remaining of the bullpen did just that.
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Blue Jays may have already won their World Series in New York
The Blue Jays exhausted themselves in the Bronx. It was their first series of the postseason after barely holding on against the Yankees in the regular season. New York has utterly dominated Toronto for decades. The Blue Jays turned the tide in this ALDS, and they celebrated as a result.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. cemented himself as a Yankees villain by stealing David Ortiz's favorite catchphrase postgame in an interview with FOX Sports. Vladdy said 'Da Yankees lose!' on a live broadcast. The Blue Jays team danced around to 'New York, New York' while spraying champagne in the visiting locker room. It's what rivalries are meant to be. I won't knock them for any of that.
However, their celebration made it all the more important that Toronto showed up for the remainder of the postseason. So far, the Blue Jays haven't done that.
How can the Blue Jays move past their sole series win?
Game 1 was winnable for the Blue Jays. In fact, losing that contest will be among the worst defeats of the postseason for any team. We even wrote a story about the Blue Jays advantage, and they tweeted about it! What's most concerning about Toronto's first two defeats is that they haven't shown up offensively. The lineup which dominated the Yankees pitching has been relatively silent against Seattle. Schneider wore the blame for removing Gausman in Game 1, but what he neglected to mention was the Jays only scoring one run.
“You’re trying to read the situation, and every game is different,” Schneider said. “Kind of wanted to turn Polanco around. In hindsight, you try to make him chase one more time with [Josh] Naylor sitting there on deck. Those are things you learn from going into tomorrow.”
Toronto needs a reset, and playing on the road can do that for them. It's a long trip to Seattle, and while the Jays will be down 2-0 when they get there, this team thrive as the underdog. That's why they're the little brother, right?
The Mariners barely survived a series against Detroit. The Blue Jays should be able to extend this ALCS, despite their brutal start. The lineup just needs to show up for a change.