Game 3: Live to Fight Another Day
After Mondays loss; some of the Blue Jays faithful had lost hope…but then realized that there was always Game 4. There’s only been one team in history to come back from being down 3 games to none to win the series. That was the Red Sox team in 2004. What did they do after that? Nothing really, other than win the whole damn thing. That’s what I started thinking. Well if we can come back and win this series; whats not to say that we don’t go on to win the World Series? I mean we deserve it right…and yes I’m completely ignoring the fact that out of the 4 teams remaining our team happens to be the one that has won the World Series most recently.
The best part of Game 4 is that had the AL leader in ERA pitching for us; Aaron Sanchez. You might remember him as the guy that the Jays reworked their entire rotation and off days for a month and a half so they could have him starting big games in October. Here was their chance to prove to the world that they did everything right. All the young gun did was go 6 innings giving up 2 hits and a walk while striking out 5. He looked dominant. Basically he gave us all we could hope for; then again every Jays pitcher this series had done the exact same thing and been left empty handed as the offence has not done their part.
This game was different. Before the game our MVP; the bringer of rain; Josh Donaldson had some very strong words with his teammates. He even lead by example hitting a homerun in the bottom of 3 giving the Jays their first lead of the series and left Cleveland trailing for the first time in over a week. The Jays added a run an inning later with Carrera driving in a run. Sure we were up to but with the way this team has hit all series; maybe a few of us we’re hoping for more. Cleveland came back to score a run and you could sense the tension inside the stadium. We were looking for the sky to fall. Sanchez got removed after 6 and Brett Cecil came in. He’s struggled all year and then goes out and has a perfect inning. That seemed to settle everyone down. With the Jays next at bat and 2 runners on, Francona actually intentionally walked Donaldson to get a double play set up and pitched to Edwin. Not sure if I like that play with no outs but I’m just some guy behind a computer screen and his a manager with a couple of World Series titles to his name.
Turns out the guy behind the computer screen was right because Edwin drove in a pair to give us a 3 run lead. From there the boys never looked back and added on another run in the bottom of the 8th to seal the win. Look at this quote from Donaldson after the game: “If we were to lose today, there was no way that I was going to leave this series and not feel like I had an impact on it. I believe in each and every one of those guys that are in there. That's why I'm so passionate – if I didn’t feel like we had a chance, I would roll over and just say, ‘All right, guys, go ahead.’ But I feel like we have the team. And I feel like we have the players in the clubhouse to be able to win the series.” So many of us that are fans have been saying that this team has quit, that they’ve given up and that they don’t care. That quote to me shows that at least one guy in that clubhouse cares a lot more than any of us understand and I’m 100% positive that every single guy in that locker room feels the exact same way. Every one of them is playing for pride or their next contract or because they don’t know how many years they have left and feel this might be their last shot at a title.
Yes…it’s only one game. But we’ve got tomorrow; and then we go back to Cleveland where it’s been more of a home game than road game with all the Jays fans that make the trip. I wasn’t ready to stop typing these silly little blogs before this game and I sure as hell am not ready to finish my post season writing tomorrow. So let’s take all the positives; as in this team is too good; too veteran to not hit the way they did the first two games but they should hit the way they did today. Momentum is a funny thing in sports….and we might just be getting some of it back on our side…..Game 4 goes Wednesday at 4pm. I might catch an inning before work…here’s hoping Donaldson and the rest of the Jays do something special before I leave the house.
