Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comes through in clutch as Blue Jays edge Cubs in playoff-like atmosphere
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Barring a major implosion down baseball’s stretch run — which doesn’t seem likely — the Blue Jays will be involved in many more of the pressure-cookers that unfolded in Thursday afternoon’s rubber match against the visiting Chicago Cubs.
Another sold-out crowd was on hand at the Rogers Centre as Max Scherzer outduelled Matthew Boyd in a 2-1 Jays victory on a day with a playoff feel to it. The game’s margins were thin, the stress factor extreme, which made for a fun day at the ballpark.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comes through in clutch as Blue Jays edge Cubs in playoff-like atmosphere Back to video
Scherzer again looked awfully good through seven innings, despite giving up a solo homer to Michael Busch in the sixth for the game’s first run.
No question the 41-year-old will get a start — maybe more — once the post-season arrives.
Toronto’s bullpen also came through when the Cubs threatened in the eighth inning, putting runners on second and third with none out.
Brendon Little worked around a wild pitch to record back-to-back strikeouts before Seranthony Dominguez came in to strike out cleanup hitter Carson Kelly for the final out.
The following are three takeaways on an afternoon the Jays managed to record just three hits, one game after mustering two in a 4-1 loss.
Waiting for that from Vladdy
Fans who have been clamouring for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., to step up in a big moment with a key home run, certainly got just that on Thursday.
The timing could not have been better. With the Jays trailing 1-0 in the seventh and held to just one hit — a Tyler Heineman single in the third — Davis Schneider worked Boyd for a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Ernie Clement.
Up came Vladdy who, after fouling off the first two pitches he saw, lofted a 77-mph curveball 402 feet into the centre-field seats for what turned out to be the game-winning blast.
It was Guerrero’s team-leading 20th home run of the season.
When his team needed him most, Vladdy delivered.
He’s hitting .340 this month with a 1.082 OPS.
Mighty Caissie
Another Canadian made his major-league debut on Thursday at the dome when Owen Caissie served as the Cubs’ DH and batted fifth.
Earlier this year when the Athletics were in town, Pickering’s Denzel Clarke hit his first major-league home run in his first series in Toronto.
Caissie, the Cubs’ top prospect and No. 45-ranked on the MLB Pipeline top-100 list, got the call late Wednesday in the wake of a freak ankle injury sustained by catcher Miguel Amaya.
As the expression goes, one man’s misfortune is another man’s fortune, and Caissie — who hails from Burlington and has represented Canada on the international scene — flew from Chicago to Toronto in time to make his MLB debut with his proud family on hand to witness the special occasion.
His official boxscore line will read 0-for-4, but he was so close to a dream scenario in his first at-bat.
One pitch into his big-league career, Caissie squared up a Scherzer pitch and sent it into the left-centre gap that would have gone to the wall had Schneider not made a diving highlight-reel catch to rob him of at least a double.
A second-round selection (45th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2020, Caissie flew out to Schneider in his second and third trips to the plate before striking out swinging on three consecutive pitches against closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth.
Buoyed by Boyd
Fans of the Jays will recall with glee the day 10 years ago when the club acquired starting pitcher David Price.
One of the players the Jays traded to acquire Price was Matt Boyd, now a 34-year-old left-hander who brought an 11-5 record to the mound when he faced his former team in Thursday’s series finale.
Boyd emerged as the first major off-season move the Cubs made when the club signed him to a two-year contract. The investment has clearly paid off.
When he pitched for the Cleveland Guardians, Boyd underwent Tommy John surgery, but recovered and would go on to make three playoff starts.
Against the Jays, Boyd was effective and, at times, even elite. He limited the Jays to three base-runners in his seven innings while striking out five.
Unfortunately for him and the Cubs, two of those base-runners scored on Vladdy’s home run.
Still, Boyd, who has endured long list of injuries since making his first two major-league starts with the Jays in 2015, was able to lower his season ERA to a career-best 2.46. His 24 starts and 142.2 innings are the most he has produced since 2019 with the Detroit Tigers.
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Up next
The Texas Rangers come to town for a three-game series that begins Friday night (7:07 p.m. first pitch) … A reminder to fans who enjoy the comfort of watching the Jays from home that Friday’s game is an exclusive Apple TV+ broadcast … Earlier in the season when they Jays were in Arlington, they faced Jacob deGrom, who will draw the Rangers’ start again Friday night. Chris Bassitt takes the ball for the Jays.
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