In the first game of their American League wild-card series, the Toronto Blue Jays lost 4-0 to the Seattle Mariners. Click here to purchase Seattle Mariners jerseys.
The following are five things to know heading into Game 2 of the best-of-three series:
- Ray returns
As a Blue Jays pitcher in 2021, Ray won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the AL. As a result of his lack of vaccination against COVID-19, he was placed on Seattle’s restricted list during the Mariners’ visit to Toronto earlier this season. He said yesterday he was looking forward to returning to Toronto.
In Ray’s opinion, one must control their emotions. They must not let the situation get out of control. They must not let their emotions be influenced by the crowd.
“It’s going to be very loud here. The roof is closed. There are going to be a lot of people here. The fans here are very loud. They love baseball. They love the Blue Jays. So, it’s gonna be very loud here.”
- On deck
During the regular season, Kevin Gausman earned a 12-10 record with a 3.35 earned-run average and he will start for Toronto this afternoon, while Robbie Ray will compete for Seattle, who had a 12-12 record with a 3.71 earned-run average.
“I have never pitched an elimination game before, but I started the last game of the regular season in 2016 (for the Baltimore Orioles),” Gausman said. “It was a game that the team needed to win.”My career has spanned a lot of meaningful games. Obviously not elimination games, but I just have to go out there and do what I do best.
- Springer fine
It looked like George Springer was going to be hurting in the eighth inning of yesterday’s loss after being hit by a pitch. The outfielder has been suffering from a sore right elbow for most of the season. Springer was able to get his elbow out of the way of a 97.9 m.p.h. four-seam fastball from Mariners starter Luis Castillo. The pitch did hit his wrist, however, Schneider said after the game that Springer was fine.
“X-rays did not reveal a fracture,” Schneider said. “He feels okay, and we’ll see how he feels on Saturday.”
- Blue jays injuries
As he continues to recover from a left oblique strain, Toronto’s second baseman Santiago Espinal was left off the team’s 23-man post-season roster on Friday. But outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (hamstring) was left off the roster altogether as he continues to recover from the injury.
Schneider, the interim manager of the Blue Jays, hopes Toronto can advance to the American League Division Series without Gurriel. Espinal might make the lineup in Game 2 against Ray’s left-handed pitching.
“You analyze every possible scenario that may occur in the next three days, whether it’s good or bad, and try to make the best decision,” Schneider explained.
- Pop up
Zach Pop of Brampton, Ont., made his postseason debut in the eighth inning. The 26-year-old Pop allowed a single to Eugenio Suarez before striking out Cal Raleigh. He allowed a double to Mitch Haniger before being replaced by Trevor Richards.
Nike Elite and Nike Limited jerseys are the two types of stitched NFL jerseys. The Nike Elite jerseys are the authentic jerseys, meaning they are the closest you can get to wearing what the players wear on the field.
Although Nike Limited jerseys are not authentic, they have a high level of design features, such as stitched graphics. Think of Nike Limited jerseys as a hybrid jersey between replicas and authentic jerseys. Nike Limited jerseys offer some premium features at a lower price point than Nike Elite jerseys.
