The Toronto Blue Jays head into Sunday’s ALCS Game 6 with their season on the line. The Jays dropped Game 5 in Seattle against the Mariners after coming back from a 2-0 series deficit. The Game 5 loss pushed Toronto to the brink.
Now, the Blue Jays will turn to 22-year-old rookie Trey Yesavage to save their season. Yesavage will get the ball for the second time this series. His first outing was a rather forgettable one in Game 2. The Mariners pounded Yesavage for five runs in four innings of work.
Seattle took the game 10-3 to sweep the first two games in Toronto. The Jays won the next two, but a five-run eighth inning sunk the Jays on Friday night.
The Blue Jays hope they’ll get the Yesavage that shut down the New York Yankees in the ALDS. He picked 5.1 innings of shutout baseball in Game 2’s 13-7 victory. Yesavage struck out 11 batters in that game.
Yesavage made all of three regular-season starts in September. He was a late-season call-up and made a lasting impression on the team. His performance was enough to land him a spot on the playoff roster.
Blue Jays Hoping Yesavage Can Bounce Back against Seattle
The Blue Jays will be hoping that Yesavage can bounce back against the Mariners. The Jays’ righthander certainly seems in the right frame of mind to do so.
During media availability on Saturday, Yesavage spoke the following:
“All the work all season has led up to this moment, not only for me, but for the team that has been doing it since March. “Everything has led us to this point, and we’re able to show the world who we are, so it’s special.”
The comments, as quoted by TSN, underscore how committed Yesavage and the Jays are to forcing a Game 7. The team, which few pundits picked to make the playoffs, rode a mid-season hot streak to the AL East title.
After steamrolling the Yankees in the ALDS, the Blue Jays ran into a much tougher challenge against Seattle. But that challenge has been a learning process for all involved.
Yesavage added:
“I learned that it’s not just one game because I have to come back out here and pitch Game 6. So being able to move on from a start, whether good or bad, and go out there and treat it like a new day.”
As such, Toronto has that opportunity to fight another day. The goal will be to force a winner-take-all Game 7 at home.
Yesavage Not Only Arm Available for Toronto
Blue Jays manager John Schneider made it clear the entire game does not ride on Yesavage. Schneider stated:
“I don’t want to put all of the pressure on Trey. He’s the starting pitcher. We’re going to have nine guys in the lineup that have got to do their job and guys that have got to do their job on defence, too.”
The Blue Jays’ usually reliable bullpen faltered in Game 6 in Seattle. The pen was unable to hold a one-run lead heading into the eighth inning. The relief corps surrendered five runs as part of the 6-2 loss.
Unless Yesavage spins a complete game, the bullpen will be crucial in locking up Game 6 on Sunday night.
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