It was a World Series type of party after Jose Bautista smacked that unforgettable three-run homer in a bizarre controversial filled 7th inning that gave the Blue Jays the hair-raising 6-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.
While Toronto deserves credit, the Rangers Texas league meltdown in a hostile environment should not be overlooked.
The Rangers three straight errors just prior to the Bautista blast had them auditioning for baseball’s version of the Washington Generals. Teams in Williamsport, P.A. don’t get that rattled.
The Jays recovering time from the celebration is limited. Almost lost in the excitement is that Toronto
still needs eight more victories to accomplish the ultimate goal.
History may be on their side as the Blue Jays are just the third team in postseason history to win a best-of-5 series after losing the first two at home. The other two (2001 Yankees, 2012 Giants) went
on to capture the World Series.
The Royals and Jays have been the best two teams in the American League all season so it’s no surprise they are going head to head in the ALCS. The first two games in the 2-3-2 format are set for K.C. tonight (Friday) and Saturday.
A common denominator between the two teams is resiliency. The Royals and Jays have the flare for the dramatics when the situation appeared bleak.
It can be argued that Kansas City had a more impressive comeback against Houston than Toronto did against Texas, although both were jaw dropping.
Down 2-1 in the best of five, The Royals erased a 6-2 deficit after seven innings on the road in Houston to win 9-6 by stunning the Astros with five runs in the 8th and two in the 9th. The outcome may be overlooked since K.C. took game five 7-2 over a demoralized Houston team.
The Royals are now on a streak of winning 9 of their past 10 games when facing elimination.
The final script has yet to be written but we know a lengthy drought will end as 2015 is the first postseason in which all 4 LCS teams have NOT won a World Series title in the previous 20 seasons.
With MLB down to its final four, there’s a 25 per cent chance of a Jays-Cubs World Series match-up.
If the late Yogi Berra had heard of this scenario I’m sure he would have said “I never thought the possible was possible.”
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The Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993 which is the most recent of the four teams left. The Mets last title was 1986 and the Royals last won in 1985.
The Cubs drought is 107 years long. When the Cubs last captured the World Series in 1908 pitchers Bartolo Colon of the Mets and LeTroy Hawkins of the Blue Jays were both rookies.
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At the start of the NHL season, I’m sure Connor McDavid would have been delighted to know that after four games he would have more points than Sidney Crosby.
Well, that’s where the good news ends. Crosby doesn’t have a point as he continues to find chemistry with Phil Kessel. It should not take #87 long to find his touch.
McDavid has a goal, no assists and is a minus five. His Edmonton team looks tense while starting 0-4 having been outscored 13-5.
No judgement will be made yet but the very early indication is this Oilers team looks awfully familiar to the one that has missed the playoffs each of the past nine seasons.
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It’s bizarre the way the schedule shapes up at times. The Kelowna Rockets have already played a league-high 9 games while the PG Cougars have only played a league-low 5 games.
The Cougars and Rockets meet on three consecutive Fridays starting tonight. In total they have four head to head match-ups in the last two weeks of October, two in P.G. and two in Kelowna. The Rockets went 4-0 last season at CN Centre.
The Rockets may be 6-3 but they are not nearly as talented as the team that won the WHL championship in May. They have only scored three more goals than they have given up (39-36), their penalty kill is second last in the League (67.6 %) while their power play, which was first in 2014-15 (26.2 %), sits 12th (22.7 %).
While the stats are not as impressive at this stage, the Rockets remain the model franchise the rest of the League continues to look up to.
From the Quote Rack:
A possible Cubs World Series victory parade will feature a horseless carriage from their last one.
Title for the Seventh Inning In Toronto–‘One Flew Over Chin-Soo-Choo’s Nest’.
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Toronto Blue Jays fans pelted the field with objects after a controversial call went against them. Signs will be posted for their next game that patrons will be immediately ejected if they throw any beer cans, soda pop containers or Maple Leaf jerseys onto the field.
The votes are in. Fans voted Blue Jays series MVP – Elvis Andrus.
Comedy writer TC Chong of Vancouver http://alwaysfunny.com/
DraftKings has pulled its advertising from ESPN after questions arose about possible insider trading at the company. Fantasy football could be fixed? It’s enough to make you long for the purity of pro wrestling.
Cal Ripken Jr. acknowledged he might be interested in managing the Washington Nationals. Is that because he always dreamed as a little boy of growing up and joining the circus?
Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
Sergey Karjakin used two blitzes to win the 2015 World Chess Championship. That’s right, they have blitzes. How else can you get football fans to read about chess?
Traffic was halted on London’s Saville Row as a flock of sheep filled the street, which helped raise awareness of the wool industry. So the news was good and baaaad.
Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
And in case you missed it:
If it lasts 53 minutes in baseball, does one consider this to be the ‘7th inning stretch-ed’?
Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the Goat. His column appears Fridays on myprincegeorgenow.com. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected]
Follow him on twitter: @Hartley_Miller