Blue Jays journey to ALCS, Next round strategy session w/Mike Wilner

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Toronto Star columnist Mike Wilner back on ft OH, how things have changed since we last spoke to you, Mike, how you doing and what's your shock factor? If you go back to let's go back to the off season, right, if you go from the off season to now, what's your shock factor? If I said, Mike, you'd be on foul territory in October ninth talking about the Jays taking down the Yankees in four games to advance to the ALCS.

00:00:28
Speaker 2: First of all, the shock factor for just being back on foul territory is pretty huge. It's been a long time, as you guys called me. But as far as the Jays being in the ALCS, look, I thought going into the season that it would be a season like twenty twenty two or twenty three, where the Blue Jays were sort of a fringe wild card contender, probably the sixth or seventh best team in the American League might sneak into the playoffs, and once you get in things can happen. But obviously they hadn't made anything happened in the playoffs for a very long time. And then the season started and they started off twelve and eight, playing really well, but then they lost I think sixteen out of twenty, and it was pretty plain to see that it didn't think. It didn't look like things were gonna work. I wasn't impressed by the offseason, and in fact, you know what, looking back now, I continue to not be impressed by the off season because the players that they brought in, the big ones, Anthony Santander, andre C Menez, Jimmy Garcia, Max Scherzer didn't really contribute to the Blue Jays having the ninety four win season and finishing in first place. Jeff Hoffman did with thirty three saves that was pretty terrific, but he was also second in the league in blown saves and he led the league in home runs allowed by relievers. So, you know, it felt like to me until they got Santan Daer that they were tripling down on this pitching and defense thing and trying to prove that you can win a game nothing. Nothing. Then they got Santa there a little bit of power, but he wound up missing four months. So I think it's reasonable to say that nobody saw this coming, and especially first week of May. Nobody saw this coming. But credit to them, they become a really, really good team with serious contributions. From one through twenty six, they were the second hardest team in the league to strike out, and they led the major leagues in batting average in on base percentage. That's tough to be.

00:02:33
Speaker 3: Sure.

00:02:33
Speaker 4: Krat said this earlier. They out baseball, and what you just said kind of is what they do. They're one through twenty six. Every guy contributes, no matter who it is or what they're doing. And I agree. I mean, they just out baseball the Yankees, and they have a way to They have a pretty I mean, I'm not gonna say easy path, but they have a path to not only get to the World Series for the first time in forever, but to win it because of really good starting pitching, really good defense, timely hit in a bullpen that's been I think is better than people give them credit for, even though I know they've taken their lumps. But I just think this is a complete roster, and for me, it's the most complete roster right now in the American League.

00:03:11
Speaker 2: I mean, I think it is, and I don't even know that you have to say right now, the Blue Jays are the top seed in the American League. They earned that number one spot and I understand. I don't know quite why. Maybe because they finished in the last place last year, Maybe because they really have been an afterthought around Major League Baseball except for twenty fifteen and sixteen, for about three decades. But they're the top seed, they're the number one team in the American League, they have the best record in the league, so they should have the path to go into the World Series. And there's no question that Seattle and Detroit going to a Game five helps them out a lot because it takes Trek Scooble and Logan Gilbert out of the equation until Game three, regardless of which team they face. And they'll be playing a team that has to have done two cross country flights in three days. And I know how well big league teams travel, but it's still a pain to do a couple of six hour flights in the space of seventy two hours. So yeah, they definitely aj out baseball. The New York Yankees, and I have to agree with Buck Martinez are one of our broadcasters here. The Yankees just aren't a very good baseball team. I mean, yet, they won ninety four games, it was great, But if they're not hitting home runs, they're not going to beat you. And the fact that the Blue Jays were able to so overwhelm their starting pitching until Cam Schlittler, who was fine nothing specially give up four runs, but fine. You know, Max Freed, Luis Hill, and Carlos Rodon none of them gotten out in the fourth inning. And it's just because the Blue Jays wore them down. Heel, you can do that to Freedom Rodn you're not supposed to be able to do it too. But the Blue Jays have worn down good starting pitching all year by not striking out and having extended Anthony Santander had an eleven pitch flyout last night. It's it's a good baseball team. They take care of the ball. They have tons of people on base, so a big hits bound to happen sooner or later.

00:05:21
Speaker 3: Uh.

00:05:22
Speaker 2: And they do. They do a lot of things that the Yankees don't, which is why they went eleven and six against them this year.

00:05:30
Speaker 1: This episode of FT is presented by Fox one AJ. If people have the Fox one app then they get to listen to you. Adam, Wayne Right and Adam Amine for one more game a game five five on Friday, all alone. No Yankees, Blue Jays. Just your game, a game five? What time is that game?

00:05:52
Speaker 4: Eight Eastern, so prime, prime time. I'm pomped man Friday, there's no other games. There's really not a lot of college football Friday night. It is baseball, and we complained there was no games on a Friday night before. Well, guess what you get Game five? My question is this going to be the only game five? Because I don't know. Do we think the Phillies get it done? But I love the fact that we get a game five. I've done. This will be my third Game five I've got to do. They are awesome, they are fun. My first two years I did this, I got to do game five and I haven't had one since. So guys are pretty excited about it. The crew is super excited. I can to do a winter or take all game.

00:06:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's fun. Crazy things happen, right, we'll probably see.

00:06:31
Speaker 4: Manager's panic like nobody, oh my.

00:06:34
Speaker 1: Gosh, decision scrutinized. So we're excited about it. We'll be watching and listening to you guys. And if you don't have a way to get the game, everyone has a way to get the game. Now, Okay, it's the Fox one app. We're pumping it the next few weeks. Here on FT you can stream Fox one. You can get yourself a free seven day trial by hitting that QR code or going to the description either in this YouTube episode or if you're listening to us on podcast form, you can do the same over.

00:07:05
Speaker 3: There was there some angst in this series between the two teams, because I get it when the series is over, it's a big series. You're you're playing your you're playing your division rival. But before the series started, you saw you saw George Springer say, oh, why don't they just give give the Yankees the division? And then after Hoffman closed the game out and struck out Bellinger, you saw him look over yell at their dugout, show him away. You heard what John Schneider said, you know, play his his his comments after the game, and I get it to the spoils go the win or the winner go the spoils. But was there extra angst because it was the Yankees or because it was the vision rival.

00:07:54
Speaker 2: I think that that extra emotion was in there more be because it was the Yankees and what they I don't know if it's what they represent, but the I've called it like Manifest Destiny. It's like people simply believe that because the Yankees are the Yankees, they have earned this level of respect and deference, and it's just it's just not the case. I mean, they the Yankees and their front office and the fan base sort of walks around as though, why would you even think you're gonna beat us? Like what you know, Like the Yankees were talking and a lot of people were talking like the Yankees were the favorites in this series again, despite the fact that the Jays had won the season series with them, embarrassed them at Rogers Center, they went eight and one against him in Toronto this year and were the higher seed, didn't have to play in the first round. And yet now I think I saw on the Athletic ninety nine of the people were predicting that they of their reporters were predicting the Yankees would win this series. The Yankees sort of carry themselves like, well, you know, we're gonna win, and you're just gonna have to deal with that. And so I don't have a problem with pushing back on that, especially when it's not deserved, and it certainly wasn't deserved this year, and it did feel like, you know, you talked about George Springer saying they might as well just give it to New York. There were three calls in the last week and a half of the season, two on replay and the Springer which should have been a two run double down the line that was called foul that was not reviewable. Three plays that went horribly against the Blue Jays, a fan interference call in Tampa, a Dalton Varshow trap call on a ball very clearly caught, but replay couldn't definitively determine that the ball might not have brushed against the top of a blade of grass while it was in his glove before he picked his glove up. People were starting to think that the screws were being turned against the Jays. I've always thought, look, if Major League Baseball didn't want the Blue Jays to win the division this year, it I mean, they would never would have gotten anywhere close to ninety four wins. They would have been an eighty three win team that didn't make the playoffs, and that the tinfoil hat stuff would have started a lot sooner. But there were some heightened emotions at the time, and I believe that you know, any time you have the chance to give it to the New York Yankees, you absolutely have to do it because they're the New York Yankees. They're they're the Evil Empire.

00:10:45
Speaker 3: All right? Moving forward, before you.

00:10:48
Speaker 2: Do, Cratzy, I have to say this one thing because I watched the segment before and you were talking about how you were a two h seven hitter and wouldn't have been able to get a hit. And I still remember the double and the ninth inning you hit off a role this Chapman in Cincinnati to win a game for the J's. So give yourself a little bit of credit.

00:11:04
Speaker 3: What a what a hey, you know, blind squirrel finds it not every once in a while, but what a memory that's like twenty fourteen. Yeah, that was a big moment. That was a big moment. Okay, I appreciate it. Now now I forget my question. No, is the fact that they had to run a bullpen game, and is the fact that they had Chris Bassett and Max Schurzer not on the roster a detriment moving forward? Is it a something that they have to And I know the bullpen game went really well, but holy crap, seventh inning, I think the Yankees had the tying run up. Had that game gotten tied up, then you're going to the next day starter in Golfman, Trey you Savage. Is that a detriment for the Blue Jays moving forward?

00:11:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was two out in the eighth inning when the Yankees got the tying run to the plate, and after the walk to load the bases, Jeff Hoffmin got a first pitch out and that's when it got really really tight. But you're right, if the Yankees tie the game, you're going to Gosman or you Savage, and then your hands are pretty tied for Game five. I think I thought going into the series only carrying three starters was another one of these maybe two cute moves by the front office. But the truth is Chris Bassett finished the season on the injured list. He had a back problem and they didn't think that he was gonna be ready to help them in this series. He probably is back on the roster for the Alcs and Max Scherzer. He's going to the Hall of Fame. He's one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He has been such a big help around here, especially those six weeks in July and August where he was so good. But Max Scherzer since the middle of August has pitched twenty five innings and given up twenty five runs, and he's got an ERA of over twelve in the first inning. So I'm not sure. You know, I hate, I know this is like blasphemy, but I don't think he earned a spot on the playoff ros much like Mark Burley wasn't on the playoff roster for the Jason twenty fifteen. But I do think having the way the days off go in the best of five lent more credence to using a bullpen game because you knew you were going to be able to take it easy on the relievers. In Game three, you hoped for a longer start from Shane Bieber and didn't get it, but they made sure that nobody threw more than twenty pitches out of the bullpen in Game three, and an off day before that and an off day after Game four. You can do it. But if you want to run a bullpen game in the ALCS, you're doing it where there's a span of three games with no off day, and it makes it a lot tougher because you're going to wear out your bullpen four Game five or in Game three, and that's an issue. I think we're going to see Chris Bassett back on the playoff roster in the next round.

00:14:02
Speaker 4: All Right, a couple of things you just said, like one, not having Mark Burley on the playoff roster. Who's blasphem me? Okay, I don't know what he did, but I mean, he was only throwing eighty three in two thousand and five and he pitched fine, so I'm sure he was maybe throwing eighty two so he would have been fine. So let's also, you know, establish it. And yeah, Max, you didn't hear him anything from Max. Max understood why these guys they get it, they understand. But my question is are we going to see Bo? Are we going to see Bobachette. I know he's been jogging, but there's a big difference between jogging and playing shortstop in the ALCS against the other best team in the American League.

00:14:36
Speaker 2: We're definitely not going to see Bobachett playing shortstop, I think. But I think we may see Bobachett as a DH in the ALCS. He spoke after the game last night in New York and he said that He's made some huge strides in the past few days, but he still has to be able to run the bases, and he's got three days to get better, and you know, maybe he's got six. Because if I'm the Blue Jays and I think Bo's gonna be ready for Game three, I'm putting him on the roster if he's going to be ready for Game three, which is Tuesday. Game one Sunday will be five weeks exactly since he got hurt sliding into Austin Wells shin guard and sort of jamming up his knee and straining it. And these injuries are like four to six week injuries usually, But to have him out there playing shorts up. There is zero chance of that happening before the World Series if they get there, and maybe not even in the World Series. But I would not be surprised if he's on the roster as a DH only, and that might cost Anthony santanderra a spot.

00:15:42
Speaker 1: That's a good point decisions call.

00:15:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's a tough call. Honestly, Santander has I think three hits since coming back. He missed most of the last four months of the season, and to be able to ask a guy to be who you are. Once you do that, it doesn't work for me. It was one for ten with six strikeouts in the regular season, and I think had two or three hits in this ALCS. He's a poor defensive outfielder. You should be able to put George Springer out there and to have Bow's bat back. He's missed a month, but his swing's a little bit different than Santander's and Tony Tatter's missed a lot of time and really hasn't done it. He's had some great at bats since he's gotten back, but they haven't resulted in any hits. Yeah.

00:16:38
Speaker 1: Well, the one the game three was that the two runs big hit.

00:16:43
Speaker 3: That was big.

00:16:43
Speaker 1: I know they lost the game, but that was big.

00:16:45
Speaker 2: But that is fair.

00:16:46
Speaker 3: That is fair.

00:16:47
Speaker 1: I mean, it's been a tough year for him, and I think everyone would agree if bo can hit, they will take that bat because he also, I think has the clutch gene, which we could spend an hour talking about alone. Mike, this was awesome, man. We will invite you back sooner, especially if these Wouldjays keep doing their thing.

00:17:03
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, Always a pleasure to be here, guys, thanks H,