Blue Jays, Team Canada Trade Punches in Pre-WBC Tune-Up

Today was a great day for baseball. To be fair, every day is a great day for baseball, but Tuesday afternoon in Dunedin felt different. Blue Jays spring training was well underway, but this time it wasn’t just “root, root, root for the home team.” Team Canada was in town for the first of their two exhibition games ahead of the World Baseball Classic, with their tournament opener set for Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m. against Colombia.

There was plenty of Blue Jays blue in the crowd, and just as much red and white, but this wasn’t a case of two separate fan bases showing up to watch a game; this was an irregularity. Fans at the ballpark were cheering for both teams.

Former Blue Jay and long-time manager of Team Canada, Ernie Whitt, led his team onto the field with numerous fellow former MLB players and Team Canada alumni on the coaching staff. Most notable was Russell Martin, who spent four seasons with the Blue Jays from 2015 to 2018. He was spotted pregame giving handshakes and hugs to several players on the Blue Jays bench with a massive smile on his face. Once he took his spot in the first base coach's box, it was game on.

Team Canada sent out a lineup full of MLB players, led by captain Josh Naylor, paired with his younger brother Bo, and full of young but talented players, all with MLB experience. Their first task wasn’t going to be easy, as the Blue Jays handed the ball to Kevin Gausman, the two-time All-Star and 13-year MLB veteran.

Canada went quietly in the first against Gausman, who looked sharp in his second start of the spring. Tyler Black flew out to begin the game, and aside from a Josh Naylor walk, that's all Canada could muster in the top of the first.

Toeing the rubber for Team Canada was the left-handed throwing Logan Allen. He’s a veteran of five MLB seasons with four teams and has recently pitched in Korea for the NC Dinos. He struggled with his command in this one. After a hard lineout from George Springer, he walked Nathan Lukes, which was followed by a Daulton Varsho infield single. Addison Barger walked, and two batters later, Jesús Sánchez smoked a two-run single, and Canada found themselves down early.

After Gausman struck out two and allowed just a soft single to Otto Lopez in the top half of the second, things really unravelled in the bottom of the frame. After three straight walks to start the inning, Allen’s day was done. Cambridge, Ontario’s Noah Skirrow entered in relief, but by the time he escaped the inning, the damage had been done, and Canada was losing 7-0. Or, depending on your allegiance, the Blue Jays led 7-0.

But Canadians don’t just quit, and neither does Team Canada. From there, things got better. Skirrow came back out for the third and struck out the side, including Springer. The next three pitchers, Adam Macko (who was facing his own teammates), Eric Cerantola and Indigo Diaz combined to pitch three innings while allowing just one hit. It showcased one of Team Canada's strengths: bullpen depth. Maybe that was the change of momentum Canada needed, as then the bats woke up.

In the top of the sixth, Longueuil, QC native Abraham Toro smoked a single to centerfield. Then, Mississauga, ON native Josh Naylor ripped an even harder single (110.4 EV) to right field, and Team Canada had runners on the corners with no out. After the elder Naylor stole second, the national team was able to drive both runners in on a Tyler O’Neill sacrifice fly and an Owen Caissie RBI single. Just like that, the score was 7-2, and suddenly, there was life.

Canada added a third run in the seventh via a Jared Young sac fly, and then in the eighth, the bats exploded off of Jays Centre's #6 prospect Gage Stanifer. London, ON, native Jacob Robson led off the inning with an opposite-field home run, which started a run of four straight hitters reaching base, capped off by Athletics center fielder and Toronto native Denzel Clarke, who ripped a double. Black then proceeded to hit a sacrifice fly, and just like that, Canada had erased a seven-run deficit to tie things at 7-7. Team Canada was alive.

The lead was short-lived, as in the bottom half, Canadian right-hander Brock Dykxhoorn gave up a three-run home run to Blue Jays first baseman Riley Tirotta. That proved to be the difference in the ballgame, as the Blue Jays defeated Team Canada 10-7.

Overall, it was a good start for Team Canada, as they did what they set out to do. The offence showed life, scoring seven runs and recording three sacrifice flies, a sign of unselfish situational baseball, and they actually outhit the Blue Jays 10 to eight.

Canada still has work to do. Allen’s five walks won’t win many baseball games, and the two defensive errors Canada made will need to be cleaned up if this group hopes to advance to the knockout round for the first time in tournament history.

Team Canada will get another warm-up game against the Phillies at 1:05 p.m. this afternoon before their tournament opens on Saturday against Colombia at 11 am ET.

Now, allegiances are split no longer. There's no more cheering for both teams – it’s all red and white from here on out. Ahead of a short tournament where anything can happen, Canada showed it has the talent to make things interesting, and if the breaks go their way, there’s a real opportunity to do something this program has never done before.

From the Notebook

• Adam Macko (Stony Plain, AB) was in a precarious position as he got to pitch against his own team. Macko has pitched three scoreless innings for the Blue Jays so far this spring, and on Tuesday, he came in to face a pocket of three lefties. After a single to Nathan Lukes, he got Daulton Varsho to hit into a double play and Addison Barger to ground out to get out of the inning.

• Blue Jays prospect Je’Von Ward ended up playing for Team Canada in this game. Seems like the Blue Jays were lending a helping hand to the national team, since Ward is from Cerritos, California. He did play for the Vancouver Canadians this past season, and just for one day, he was an honorary Canadian. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

• Josh Naylor not only stole a base, but he also had the two hardest-hit baseballs in the game: a 110.4-mph single in the sixth and a 108.6-mph double play ball in the third.

• Hitting coach Justin Morneau revealed that Team Canada is planning on bringing some mini-sticks to Puerto Rico so they can play during any downtime at the WBC.