TORONTO – The Blue Jays turned the World Series opener into a laugher. Just like we all predicted them to do against the reigning champion Dodgers.
“Everyone’s comparing us to David vs. Goliath,” Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes said. “I think it’s more like Goliath vs. Goliath. We’re the last teams standing.”
The “Goliath vs. Goliath” comparison seems fitting (even MLB on FOX analyst Alex Rodriguez referred to this World Series matchup as such). Known for their contact-oriented approach, the Blue Jays offense is even more formidable when that contact comes in the form of home runs.
Another distinguishing factor behind Toronto’s season-long success? Sporting the lowest strikeout rate in Major League Baseball. Combine hitting home runs with striking out fewer times than the opponent, and that’s the secret sauce. When the Blue Jays can accomplish both of those feats within the same game, it is extremely difficult to lose.
The Jays won Game 1 of the World Series by slugging three home runs against the Dodgers’ one. Toronto bats struck out just four times. How many times did Los Angeles batters whiff? A baker’s dozen.
“At the end of the day, not striking out and hitting home runs is the holy grail,” shortstop Bo Bichette told me at the Rogers Centre after Friday’s win. “It definitely starts with being good hitters first. Good hitters take care of mistakes, and we’ve been taking care of mistakes. We have a lot of guys who can change the game with one swing. I think that’s an underrated aspect of our team.”
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While the power-hitting depth of Toronto’s lineup might be underrated, their successful contact-driven philosophy is their worst-kept secret. There’s just hardly anything anyone can do to thwart it.
The Blue Jays lineup forced Dodgers starter Blake Snell to throw 29 pitches in the first inning. Even though they loaded the bases against him and didn’t score a run, no one in the home dugout was disappointed about it. Their lack of irritation might come as a surprise, since the Dodgers pitching staff allowed just four runs in the Championship Series against the Brewers. The rotation’s 0.63 ERA was the lowest in CS history. But Toronto’s game plan was to make Snell work and tire him out, and in that, the team was successful.
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Still, when Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho tied the game with a two-run home run off Snell in the fourth inning, it was “disgusting,” as his teammate Miles Straw put it. In the sixth inning, when Addison Barger hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history to give the Blue Jays a controlling 9-2 lead, it was expected.
“We knew it was going to happen at some point, just didn’t know when,” second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa said. “I think that’s the special thing about this team. You just never know who it’s going to be that night. We always joke about it when we show up to the field: ‘Who’s it going to be?’ We know someone’s going to step up, and tonight Barg stepped up in the big spot. But everybody did their job to get on base and pass the baton until that happened.”
The Blue Jays are flaunting their big bats throughout this postseason. (Photo by Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
As Jays players answered question after question about their offensive approach in a hazy and smoke-filled post-celebration clubhouse, it was clear that they were tired of talking about it.
This is who they are. This is what they’ve done all year.
It helped earn them the American League pennant. If they can manage three more wins against the Dodgers, it might just get them a championship.
“Overall, we just played our game,” Varsho said. “We didn’t try to do anything more. Honestly, we just showed everybody what we can do as a lineup. Just one of those games where you got to move on to tomorrow, because they’re going to come at us pretty hard. So you got to be able to turn the page really quick and trust ourselves and be able to do the same thing.”
The Blue Jays have the early advantage over the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, but they’re always bracing for impact. Even after catcher Alejando Kirk slugged the team’s third home run of the night to give Toronto an 11-2 lead, the Blue Jays dugout wasn’t sure it would be enough to stop the powerhouse Dodgers from mounting a comeback.
“I wanted us to score 100 runs,” Straw said. “No amount of runs is enough against them.”
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But the Jays don’t get overwhelmed by all the ways the Dodgers can beat them because, at this point, they know their offensive strategy is airtight. Left fielder Davis Schneider has fully bought into the fact that the team has a contact-driven approach, but that doesn’t mean he’s successful at it. So he tries to work the count and draw a walk. At least if he gets on base, he trusts that the guy behind him will drive him in.
It’s fair to wonder how the Blue Jays could be tired of talking about the triumphs of their offensive approach when it’s relatively new. After all, Toronto finished last in the AL East last year. Until this October, the organization had not made it past the Wild Card round since 2016. As a whole, the Blue Jays offense was barely better than league average last year.
But their World Series Game 1 victory over the Dodgers in front of an electric Rogers Centre crowd on Friday night represented their 102nd win of the year, including the regular season. This is a Blue Jays team that’s feeling it. The confidence in their approach is apparent. To those who haven’t watched them closely all year, their relentless plan of attack can be startling.
To them, it’s old news.
“One through nine, we have guys who are dialed in and who stick to their approach,” Schneider told me. “Over 162 games — and now, in the playoffs — this is just what we do.”
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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