Article: Blue Jays Opening Day Rewind: 2000

[Mac]

The clock was getting louder by the second inside the TSN control room.

The Toronto Blue Jays had been two outs away from an Opening Day victory. More importantly for those at TSN, the game had been on track to finish on time. Now, extra innings loomed and on a busy day for Toronto’s professional sports teams, the network was minutes away from a scheduled Maple Leafs broadcast. In the absence of today's streaming options, TSN faced a decision: split screen the games or anger a fanbase.

It was a decision that never required an answer.

Well, we know what they would’ve done, right? Funny enough, Dave Hodge was TSN’s on-air host for Opening Day 2000.

Making the decision easier inside the TSN control room was that while the Leafs were leading their division, the Blue Jays weren’t exactly swimming in popularity, at least not in Toronto. Season ticket sales had plummeted to around 11,000, about the same amount that attended SkyDome to boo Shawn Green as a Dodger when the Blue Jays played their final few spring training games up north before the season. There were just over 40,000 in the ballpark for the midday Monday opener, but about a quarter of those in attendance were there thanks to free tickets that had been distributed to local schools.

The season was starting under the microscope for both general manager Gord Ash and manager Jim Fergosi. An offseason overhaul saw talent like Green, Tony Fernandez, and Pat Hentgen leave, and only third base coach Terry Bevington survived a mass firing on Fergosi’s staff over the winter. Still, there was hype about the arrival of Raul Mondesi in the Green trade and the team was optimistic about its playoff hopes. "At least we have a plan,” said Fergosi.

Tabby won the prediction battle with Buck as he correctly guessed the Jays would miss the playoffs, albeit just 4.5 games short of Martinez’s division winning take. The 83-79 record led Fergosi’s plan to have a van der Lindean-finish as he was fired at year’s end (photo credit).

Fergosi gave the ball to David Wells, who would make the first Opening Day start in his 14-year career. Questions surrounded the veteran lefty as he readied for the season, throwing only a dozen innings in spring training while dealing with back issues. Still, Wells had thrown a light workload the previous spring and wound up throwing an American League-leading 232 innings for Toronto. Wells had heard the criticism during spring and knew himself to be ready for the season opener against the Kansas City Royals, against whom he entered the game with a 14-3 career record.

Wells gave the Blue Jays a clean 1-2-3 to start the game and in the bottom of the first, Shannon Stewart drilled Jeff Suppan's third pitch over the wall in right-centre, his first of two off the Royals starter. Batista who hit a two run shot in the fourth and Toronto built a 4-0 lead. Wells would depart to a standing ovation in the seventh, but left with the Jays in a jam. Paul Quantrill gave up an RBI single, then set the Royals down in order to keep the Jays in front, 4-2.

That was the score in the ninth when second-year closer Billy Koch ran into the game to "Fuel" by Metallica. There was little reason to think the game would continue. Koch was coming off a 31-save debut, and after Mike Sweeney, the bottom of the Royals lineup approached. Koch retired Sweeney on the first pitch, but he walked Joe Randa, who ended up at third when Mark Quinn hit a double on a ball that scooted past Batista at third and never would have stopped rolling on the green concrete if not for the wall.

With the tying run in scoring position and the eighth and ninth spots in his lineup due, Royals manager Tony Muser turned to his limited bench to try and complete the rally. First up was 32-year-old journeyman Scott Pose, who brought a 60 OPS+ in 265 career at-bats to the plate. Choking up a few inches on his bat against Koch, Pose was overmatched and struck out for the second out of the inning. Down to his last out, Muser put the game in the hands of a newcomer, one whose Zauntourage had not yet formed.

Gregg Zaun hadn’t yet won over Blue Jays fans for his play on the field or lost them as Dollarama Don Cherry (and much worse), but he was already no stranger to big moments in Toronto. Zaun’s first career home run came in 1995 with Baltimore trailing, 7-0, in Toronto in the eighth, a game the Jays eventually kicked away, 9-7. Five years later, Zaun silenced the home crowd by ripping a base hit off Koch through the right side, scoring both runners and tying the game. Zaun stole second off the inattentive closer on the very next pitch but was stranded there when Johnny Damon flew out to end the inning.

With a bullpen as limited as his bench, Muser turned the game over to Jerry Spradlin, a 33-year-old who had posted an round 6.00 ERA with Cleveland and San Francisco the previous season. Touching the upper 90s, Spradlin struck out Carlos Delgado and then retired Brad Fullmer on a foul pop-out. As decision time loomed at TSN, Batista dug his right foot into the batters box, kept his left foot out, and swiveled towards Spradlin on the mound. After a pair of breaking balls left the count 1-1, Spradlin put one on a tee for Batista.

Batista’s home run came six minutes to the top of the hour and the start of the hockey game. While TSN never needed to make the decision, the Toronto Star had the benefit of a whole night to decide which game was most important.

Leading the sports section the next morning: Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2.

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[paulnotskenes]

It’s sunday… can you smell that roast???

[Orgfiller]

Dollarama Don Cherry was a great throwaway line.