One Game, One Game?: Jays Drop First Game, Will Probably be Fine
Permit me a moment, please. It might come off this side of “garbage clown” but I’m prepared for that.
It’s not much of a secret that I thought the whole Encarnación situation went down poorly last off season. I’m not suggesting it was wholly one sided in how bad it was, but I do think the Jays looked bad. A long time player wanted to stay, it didn’t get done and he went to play for another team that was already slightly better for less money. You can flip it all around and talk about Encarnación‘s agent’s miscalculation and that’s valid. No one came out looking particularly good.
I was prepared for a game where the Jays needed a big hit to win and they don’t get it. I was also prepared for Encarnación to deliver big hits for Cleveland.
I was not prepared for it to take ONE GAME for it to happen. The season is one game old.
ONE GAME.
The synchronicity of it was staggering.
I didn’t even watch the Cleveland/Texas game (because, why?) I just saw the alert on the AtBat app and had to lie down.
N.B. I was actually already lying down. Baseball in bed is the best.
Look!
To twist the knife just a little more, they've got him in the odious hat. Block C, Cleveland. You are embarrassing yourselves.
ONE GAME?
ONE GAME.
ONE GAME.
Baseball? Why you gotta be like that?
And to all the people telling me, “Move forward. Don’t regret the past.” Congratulations on your emotional advantage. You are very mature. Your mother must be very proud.
And please believe me when I say this: the game yesterday was not a bad one. I'm not writing anyone off. Marco Estrada pitched really well and the defence was on point (What’s up, José?) I was impressed with Steve Pearce at the plate and I thought Kendrys Morales’ deep fly ball would’ve been gone in Toronto (or with the wind going a different direction.) They looked good, especially for the first game.
They were fine. It's a long season and it's one game. There were a lot of positive takeaways. They were just missing that one big hit.
And I’m not arguing that Encarnación would have guaranteed that big hit and the Jays would win because that would be insane and that’s not how baseball works.
Baseball was not messing around last night.
(I would like to point out that Matt Bush gave up the EE homer that tied the game and Sam Dyson took the loss. Ha! Rangers! There is some joy in Mudville.)