With One Game Left To Play, Everything Is Still Within Reach

[Mike LeSage]

The Blue Jays went to Los Angeles after splitting the first two games in Toronto, and the return trip wasn’t guaranteed for either team. After a successful trip out west, the Jays made sure at least one more game would be played at Rogers Centre. Now we know it will be two. They’ve been called underdogs and Davids (next to the Dodgers’ Goliaths), over-performers and uncommon men, but by the end of the night, we might be calling them champions. 

In the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 5, Shohei Ohtani came to the plate. Ohtani was 0-for-3 at that point, a far cry from the terrifying performance he displayed in the marathon Game 3. Ohtani swung at the first pitch he saw, a middle-middle splitter from Seranthony Domínguez, and hit it up the first base line at just under 100 mph. The batted ball had an xBA of .440, but standing in its way was our Gold Glove first baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He gloved the ball and tumbled backwards in the effort. His positioning had him close enough to first that all he had to do to record the out was reach out and slap the base (big time). 

The image of Vladdy, on his backside, in a postseason game, reaching out for a base, reminded me of something. In truth, it’s something I’m reminded of semi-regularly. I’m blessed to have some wonderful Twins fans in my life, but “Panda” Pete Leisen won’t hesitate to drop this picture into a chat – it helps to keep me in check. It’s from the last playoff game the Blue Jays played before this postseason: Game 2 of the 2023 Wild Card round. That was only a couple of years ago, but right now, it feels like a lifetime, so if you’ll allow me a moment of reflection, let’s look back at that game and that team.

José Berríos started that day for the Jays, and if you didn’t immediately recall the specific game, that might jog your memory. Berríos had five K’s through three innings. He gave up a single in each inning but left two of them stranded at first and erased the other with a GIDP. He was only at 34 pitches. The fourth inning started with a walk to the Twins DH, Royce Lewis, and, in a shock to many viewers, that ended Berríos’ day. Lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi came out of the ‘pen and gave up a single, issued a walk, and then another single before recording an out. That gave the Twins a 1-0 lead. They would score another on a GIDP and leave the inning with a 2-0 advantage. 

The Jays had a chance to get it back in the bottom half of the inning. A George Springer single and a walk to Guerrero put two on with two out and Bo Bichette at the plate. A wild pitch from Twins starter Sonny Gray moved both Jays runners up a base – Springer to third and Vladdy to second. Bichette, an All-Star that season who would later receive MVP votes, worked a full count and was exactly the guy we wanted at the plate. With the count full and two outs, the runners would be going with the pitch – anything in play should easily score both and tie the game. The crowd at Target Field was LOUD. So loud that Guerrero didn’t hear shortstop Carlos Correa coming in behind him or hear the yells from his third base coach, Luis Rivera. Guerrero’s first move back towards the base came after Gray started his turn to throw the pickoff attempt. It was close, and Vladdy asked for an appeal, but he was out. The base just out of reach. The inning over. The game would end 2-0. The Jays would have other chances in the game – a bases-loaded GIDP in the sixth inning also could’ve gone differently. But the thing I remember most about that game is Guerrero laying out on the infield dirt, base (and game) just out of reach.

Now it’s on to Game 7, and the World Series is still within reach. It almost seems cruel that this whole season will come down to the outcome of a single game. This team has reached heights and set records we never expected. There remains one target left to take hold of. Can the Blue Jays grab it?

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