ANAHEIM, Calif. — A lot of their eyelids fluttered open by 6 a.m. Friday. It was not as a result of the Toronto Blue Jays had been wanting to see the famous person Shohei Ohtani later that night within the Los Angeles Angels’ dwelling opener.
Fairly, the bleary-eyed Blue Jays had been adjusting to their third time zone in a bit of greater than every week. The recent power of a brand new 12 months? Six weeks of spring coaching in Dunedin, Fla., adopted by a three-city, 10-game journey that matched the longest in franchise historical past to start a season.
Briefly, the battle was with physique clocks, not pitch clocks.
“Speaking to numerous the blokes, all people awoke fairly early,” the Toronto right-handed starter Kevin Gausman mentioned. “After which went again to sleep.”
The final time the schedule challenged the Blue Jays this early, it was 1984 they usually had been nonetheless taking part in in Exhibition Stadium. Now they’re in Rogers Centre, which opened as Skydome in 1989 and has been present process renovations. The additional suitcases to begin the season had been courtesy of the franchise requesting a couple of additional days on the highway to make sure that building was accomplished by the point dwelling video games started.
Consequently, when the Blue Jays lastly have their dwelling opener, Tuesday evening towards Detroit, will probably be the ultimate one performed within the majors this season.
“There’s numerous groups which have performed dwelling video games and highway video games already, and we’re nonetheless on the highway,” Toronto outfielder George Springer mentioned. “So it’s undoubtedly fascinating.”
“St. Louis, Kansas Metropolis and Anaheim,” Gausman mentioned. “Form of a bizarre group of cities.”
If there may be any staff that appears properly geared up to deal with this quirky begin, it’s Toronto. Not solely are the proficient Blue Jays coming off a 92-win season wherein they captured one of many American League’s wild playing cards, however the lineup cornerstones Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette way back grew to become accustomed to life as baseball nomads.
After debuting in 2019, what ought to have been every participant’s first full-major league season was 2020, when baseball adjusted to the coronavirus pandemic by taking part in an abbreviated, 60-game schedule. Due to stringent Canadian governmental restrictions that primarily disallowed visiting groups to cross the border, the Blue Jays performed their dwelling schedule in Buffalo.
“That 12 months was clearly loopy. After which in 2021, we had been in Dunedin after which Buffalo earlier than we had been in a position to return to Toronto,” Bichette mentioned, referring to extra restrictions and extra video games at second houses. “After which final 12 months was the lockout.”
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He added: “So it’s been a couple of loopy years the place we haven’t actually had an actual begin to the season.”
A minimum of this 12 months, Bichette mentioned, not solely did the season start on time, however even via the air miles and clock adjustments, the staff knew Tuesday dangled on the finish of the highway rainbow like a pot of gold.
“Once you’re within the minor leagues in no matter group, you dream of taking part in in that metropolis and seeing how these followers respect you,” mentioned Bichette, 25. “And that was type of placed on maintain for us for 2 years or so. Yeah, it was a bit of disappointing and difficult to deal with generally. However I believe we did an incredible job, to be trustworthy.”
He added: “We competed it doesn’t matter what and we didn’t complain. And I believe that’s going to assist us in the long term.”
Certainly, the Blue Jays in these opening days of the season seem way more centered on wiping out final October’s disappointing early playoff exit by the hands of Seattle than on, say, dwindling provides of unpolluted socks and underwear as their laundry piles up. Amongst Common Supervisor Ross Atkins’s low season transactions had been the acquisitions of outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (free company) and Daulton Varsho (commerce with Arizona) and designated hitter Brandon Belt (free company).
The Blue Jays’ hope is that these strikes, together with the addition of infielder Whit Merrifield eventually 12 months’s buying and selling deadline via a cope with Kansas Metropolis, make them a extra well-rounded and multifaceted staff. Thus far, so good. Varsho homered, beat out a bunt single and threw a runner out on the plate in a single sport in Kansas Metropolis final week. In one other, Kiermaier blazed into second with a two-out, hustle double and Bichette adopted with a run-scoring single. The Jays gained each video games.
With improved protection and baserunning, Atkins mentioned, “we don’t fear about scoring runs. I believe we’ll be capable of do this.” And the tip consequence, he added, is that regardless of the division — scoring, baserunning, protection — “we must always be capable of dangle with most groups in all these classes.”
Early returns are particularly good from Guerrero and third baseman Matt Chapman. They ranked first and second in hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 miles per hour or extra) in Main League Baseball via Sunday. Chapman, Guerrero and Bichette had been the highest three gamers within the majors in hits, and Chapman ranked first in batting common (.475).
The clubhouse enthusiasm surrounding Guerrero, although, isn’t merely due to how laborious he’s hitting the ball, but additionally how little he’s chasing pitches exterior the strike zone. Over his first 49 plate appearances, Guerrero, 24, had solely three strikeouts to 5 walks. Thus far this season, he has moved away his former free-swinging tendencies — and people of his Corridor of Fame father, referred to as one of many biggest bad-ball hitters in historical past — and towards the model of himself that led the A.L. in on-base proportion in 2021.
Guerrero labored laborious on pitch choice all through the spring, his teammates mentioned, and his rising maturity is clear.
“I’m trusting my teammates,” Guerrero mentioned through a translator. “I’m going to go up searching for my pitch, and if I don’t get it, I’m going to take a stroll and belief my teammates to hit behind me.”
Toronto Supervisor John Schneider mentioned that Guerrero’s general strategy “is quite a bit completely different than in years’ previous. He’s been across the sport for awhile now. And also you neglect how younger he’s generally.”
Schneider, in his first full season as supervisor after changing Charlie Montoyo final July, is aware of. He’s in his fifteenth season both teaching or managing in Toronto’s group, and he managed Guerrero, Bichette and Cavan Biggio at Class AA New Hampshire.
All of these experiences probably factored into his short-but-to-the-point tackle as camp ended and the gamers packed … and packed. He did it for one motive.
“You acknowledge it,” he mentioned, smiling, of the tough early schedule. “And it squashes the bitching and moaning.”
He hasn’t talked about it once more. And the Jays gained 5 of their first eight video games. To shut the highway journey, they overcame a six-run deficit — constructed partially by an Ohtani dwelling run — and ultimately beat the Angels, 12-11, within the tenth inning after Ohtani grounded out with the bases loaded. Chapman hit a grand slam to make it 6-4, and Kiermaier’s two-run triple tied the rating on the way in which to each gamers ending with 5 R.B.I.
Finally, as normally occurs in baseball, issues will even out. Irrespective of what number of early wake-up calls they endure now, the Jays, like everybody else, will nonetheless play 81 highway video games and 81 at dwelling, which suggests their schedule will ultimately flip advantageous.
“There’s solely so many truly, actually massive cities that love, love their sports activities, and Toronto is certainly one of them,” Bichette mentioned, anticipating a cheerful homecoming. “So to go there and really feel the power, we must always have a reasonably good crowd there. They love their Blue Jays.”
The power of getting a complete nation rooting for them isn’t misplaced on this staff.
“Once you’re on the market taking part in, you see indicators persons are holding, ‘I’m from right here’ and ‘I’m from there’,” Springer mentioned. “There’s individuals from throughout Canada that come to those video games. It’s superior. It’s enjoyable. I imply, it’s an honor.”
Many of the Rogers Centre rework is for these prospects, with the brand new “Outfield District” specifically catering to the fan expertise. However the redesigned outfield fence creates new discipline dimensions, together with shorter measurements in left and proper discipline that Biggio and Guerrero specifically ought to take pleasure in. And, in a improvement that Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glove winner, certainly will love, a middle discipline fence lowered to eight ft from 10.
The Jays have heard about it. Now they’re wanting to see it.
“Appears like endlessly since we’ve been dwelling,” Springer mentioned.
After all, a 12 months from now, they’re anticipating to pack their baggage for an prolonged time once more. Part II of the Rogers Centre renovation, this one set to incorporate the house and visiting clubhouse overhauls, is scheduled for this winter.