Season over: Blue Jays eliminated from playoffs after just two games
Just as quickly as the Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason began, it ended. For the third consecutive time, they’ve been swept out of the playoffs in the first round, losing to the Minnesota Twins 2-0 today.
If you thought last year’s prompt playoff exit after a heartbreaking Wild Card series was painful, oh boy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
A controversial pitching decision, a rally-killing pickoff play and so many missed opportunities will make this a series to remember for all the wrong reasons.
Things started well for the Blue Jays (on the pitching side, at least). After a rocky start by Kevin Gausman in Game 1, Toronto turned to Jose Berrios in Game 2, and he was lights out for the first three innings.
But that’s when things unraveled. The Blue Jays made an unorthodox call by not letting Berrios go through a second time through the order, pulling him after 12 batters and brought Yusei Kikuchi out of the bullpen.
The move immediately backfired as the Twins put up two runs thanks to a pair of singles and a walk surrendered by Kikuchi. Berrios was dealing until that point, but the powers that be gave the right-hander a quick hook.
Buck Martinez isn't a fan of the #BlueJays pitching change today, taking out Jose Berrios in the 4th:
"There's no reason for him to come out of that game. You didn't know what Kikuchi was going to do, you knew what Berrios was doing. There was no reason to make the change." pic.twitter.com/4SMIbNZadW
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) October 4, 2023
By trying to stave off a potential disaster, the Blue Jays ran themselves head-on into trouble by going to their lefty, and the Twins were fully prepared for this move by subbing their left-handed hitters for righties.
As controversial as the decision was to take Berrios out of the game, it was the story that’s plagued the Blue Jays the entire season; their lack of timely hitting. Toronto outhit Minnesota in both games, but the Blue Jays stranded a combined 17 runners over the two games.
Attention to detail was another fatal flaw of the Blue Jays as they killed their own rally with runners on second and third base after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was picked off to end the inning.
Our own version of Duck, Duck, Gray Duck.
(tag, you’re out!) pic.twitter.com/jrPLVmT5zb— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 4, 2023
Regardless of whether the Berrios move was the correct play, if you can’t score runs, you can’t win the game. And with players like Guerrero being too aggressive on the bases, they cost themselves an opportunity to extend the season.
In the postseason, there’s no margin for error, and the Blue Jays effectively ran themselves out of this game and this series. They had a handful of hits against the Twins, but merely one extra-base hit.
Over two games, the Blue Jays collected 14 hits and stranded 18 runners on base. They got traffic on the base paths, but couldn’t cash them in against the Twins. They squandered opportunity after opportunity, much like they did during the regular season.
There was one timely hit that scored a run in Game 1, but that’s it for the Blue Jays. Their big hitters didn’t deliver in big moments, and with Vladdy getting picked off, it cost Toronto dearly.
The Twins have advanced and will face the Houston Astros in the ALDS, while the Blue Jays will head home and contemplate how to come back in 2024 and right some of these wrongs.
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