Blue Jays overcome adversity to reach postseason

The Toronto Blue Jays had to overcome numerous challenges and obstacles to clinch a 2020 postseason berth. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays/Twitter

September 25, 2020

By Lukas Weese

Canadian Baseball Network

Charlie Montoyo gathered the team together for his first meeting of the Toronto Blue Jays “Summer Camp.”

It was July and the Blue Jays were gearing up to start their shortened 2020 season. Such is the reality amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced baseball to postpone operations in March during Spring Training.

Montoyo knew the adversity his team faced even before the season began. The Canadian government prevented the Blue Jays from playing in Toronto due to travel restrictions. This meant the franchise went without a home for several weeks before settling on their minor league site in Buffalo.

After a disappointing 2019 season, where the Blue Jays lost 95 games, Montoyo’s message to his team was simple and direct.

“If we don’t complain and follow the health guidelines, we will thrive.”

Flash forward two months later, in an empty Sahlen Field, with cutout “fans” in the stands, the Blue Jays clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2016. A 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees put the Blue Jays at 30-27, securing them a postseason berth with three games to play.

A reality that many deemed unlikely.

“They never complained,” said Montoyo to reporters after the game Thursday. “Not having a home early, playing on the road, tough losses, masks that you’ve got to wear, the hotels – they never complained. They had their minds set on getting to this moment right now. So I’m so proud of this team and they did what I asked them to do. They really did.”

The pandemic never phased them. Going from the comfortable confines of Rogers Centre to a minor league ballpark in Buffalo never phased them. Injuries to key players, including Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, and Ken Giles, never phased them.

The Blue Jays conquered the obstacles thanks to the youthful energy of their clubhouse, filled with players eager to make their mark in the big leagues. While the kids made games in this shortened campaign entertaining, the presence of veteran leadership also paid dividends for the club.

Hyun-Jin Ryu was one of those players. The Blue Jays signed the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher to a four-year, $80 million contract last offseason, looking to provide stability to the rotation.

Ryu performed above expectations. The Blue Jays ace finished with a 5-2 record, throwing 67 innings with a 2.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. It’s fitting that the first time a Blue Jays pitcher in 2020 went beyond six innings it would be Ryu in their playoff-clinching game. Ryu struck out four in seven scoreless innings.

In addition to his arsenal of pitches, Ryu brings a winning pedigree to the team. He reinforced why he came to Toronto after his victory on Thursday.

“I like winning and I came here to win,” Ryu said.

When Bichette missed over 20 games due to injury, it handed the Blue Jays yet another obstacle. To make matters worse, relievers Ken Giles and Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) also missed extended time with injuries.

The Blue Jays kept winning, thanks to their young core raising their games. Left-fielder Teoscar Hernandez demonstrated tremendous improvement from last season. This season, Hernandez is not only hitting for average but delivering power in his swings, as evidenced by his exit velocity being in the 97th percentile among players. He’s batting .297/.345/.599 with an OPS of .944, 16 home runs, and 32 RBIs.

These are the types of performances that don’t surprise Blue Jays infielder Cavan Biggio. Despite it being just his second year in the big leagues, Biggio is aware of the talent in the Blue Jays clubhouse.

“I knew the type of calibre of players that we had in our locker room,” Biggio said. “I knew the guys that didn’t necessarily have the greatest of years last year were going to take a step forward and help us get to where we are right now. I was confident going into this season about it and finally being able to put this T-shirt on and be able to consider ourselves in the playoffs is pretty special.”

Even in a 60-game season, the variance is evident. The Blue Jays started in underwhelming fashion, with their top players not performing to expectations, and the team losing winnable games. Despite the Blue Jays leading the MLB in one-run games played, it built toughness amongst the younger players. Players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who struggled for sizable stretches during the season, are starting to find their stride in September. In the series against the Yankees, Guerrero Jr. recorded nine hits and seven RBIs.

The smile on his face as he sat beside Montoyo during the Zoom press conference, yelling “We Made It” further highlights the impact of this moment on his career.

The Blue Jays slogan for the 2020 Postseason is “Respect Toronto.” It’s appropriate, given how many wrote off the Blue Jays with all their challenges to start the season.

Montoyo’s pesky team prevailed and now await their first postseason series in four years. While it’s likely they will square off against the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays, the Blue Jays will play with nothing to lose.

“Just go and play and have fun,” Montoyo said. “Enjoy it. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to enjoy it, every minute of it and we know what’s coming is not easy, but that’s fine. It hasn’t been easy the whole time.”