Blue Jays clinch post-season berth with win over Royals

[shockedcanadian]

Who had this on their bingo card when the season began?
This is the 11th time Jays have been in the playoffs. That's a strong percentage considering the team has only been around since 1977 and the vast majority of their success was pre-Wild Card and in the toughest division in baseball at the time the AL East.

'85 they collapsed to the Royal after a 99 win season and being up 3-1 in the series (they just changed it to best of 7, it was best of 5 the season prior if I recall and they would have gone on).

'87 to me was the big collapse when they lost the last 7 and the Tigers snuck by them, including that last game when they lost 1-0 on a single HR that George Bell couldnt jump up and snag. That team was quite loaded and Bell had his MVP season.

'89 and and '91 they lost to the A's. '92 and '93, back to back WS.

It will be interesting to see if they are real or not. They are a close team.

Blue Jays clinch post-season berth with win over Royals

The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the post-season for the 11th time in franchise history.

www.sportsnet.ca

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the post-season for the 11th time in franchise history, finally securing their berth by winning a game started by 2024 first-round pick Trey Yesavage, with lefty Eric Lauer throwing an important inning of leverage and with key contributions up and down the lineup.
Sunday afternoon’s 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals was, in many ways, emblematic of a campaign in which they’ve played to a collective identity and borne the fruit of that approach. Breaking from a four-game losing streak that had delayed their celebration and allowed the New York Yankees to shrink their lead atop the AL East, the Blue Jays took an early lead, responded each time the Royals put up runs and eventually wore down their opponent.



Jeff Hoffman locked things down in the ninth and the Blue Jays went through the usual handshakes on the field right after.
Clinching the American League East remains – New York’s 7-1 win at Baltimore left it within two games – but the Blue Jays now have a week of games to sort through how their playoff rotation looks, get their players, in particular Anthony Santander and Bo Bichette, as healthy as possible, determine how best to deploy Yesavage in the post-season and try to win their first playoff game since 2016.

 

[odanny]

'85 they collapses to the Royal after a 99 win season and being up 3-1 in the series (they just changed it to best of 7, it was best of 5 the season prior if I recall and they would have gone on).

I remember that series, the Royals acted shocked when they beat them, I still remember the KC first baseman hitting a HR in Toronto that bounced off a chain link fence in the outfield. Of course, the Royal beating the Cardinals in the WS was only because of a horrendous call from the first base umpire calling someone safe (bottom of the 9th) when they were out by a full step. Game 6. No instant replay. They end up winning game 6 and there was nothing left for the Cards in game 7, it was a rout.

I have heard that Toronto has some of the best pitching of any team in baseball right now. They will need some hitting though if they want to win a playoff series.

 

[shockedcanadian]

I remember that series, the Royals acted shocked when they beat them, I still remember the KC first baseman hitting a HR in Toronto that bounced off a chain link fence in the outfield. Of course, the Royal beating the Cardinals in the WS was only because of a horrendous call from the first base umpire calling someone safe (bottom of the 9th) when they were out by a full step. Game 6. No instant replay. They end up winning game 6 and there was nothing left for the Cards in game 7, it was a rout.

I have heard that Toronto has some of the best pitching of any team in baseball right now. They will need some hitting though if they want to win a playoff series.

George Brett destroyed us. The they end up winning it all and also coming back down 3-1 in the World Series! Insane.

Bobby Cox walked Brett with the bases loaded and allowed a run rather than pitch to him. It worked out but the series didn't.

When they lost the last game I ran in my room crying, my mom thought I was being dramatic lol but it was the only team we had since the Leafs were horrible then.

 

[odanny]

It was Steve Balboni, and it was an RBI single that I believe won the game for them. He was only 3-25 against Toronto. Everyone thought the Blue Jays would roll KC. The hit went off a chain link fence in the outfield and somehow bounced over it (maybe it hit something else, but there were still chain link fences in baseball and football stadiums back then, I remember that hit just because of that fence)




Balboni struggled at the plate with a .221 average in September and October of the regular season, and he remained cold in the 1985 AL Championship Series against Toronto when he went 3-for-25, although his RBI single in the bottom of the eighth in Game Three gave the Royals their first win. Led by AL MVP runner-up George Brett and the Royals’ pitching staff, Kansas City battled back from a three-games-to-one hole to beat the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven playoff, and they got back to the World Series for the second time in franchise history.56

On October 19, the NL champion St. Louis Cardinals came to Kansas City for Game One of the World Series. By the time the clubs got on I-70 and traveled east to St. Louis for Game Three, the underdog Royals were down two games to none. (Balboni went 2-for-8 and knocked in the first of the three runs the club scored in Kansas City.). After winning two of the three games in St. Louis (where Balboni went 2-for-10), the Comeback Kids headed back home.

Game Six was a nail-biter. The Cardinals went ahead 1-0 on Brian Harper’s pinch-hit, RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth inning off the Royals’ hard-luck hurler, Charlie Leibrandt. Each team went out quietly in their next half-inning, and Kansas City was down to its last three outs.

The lead-off batter in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Jorge Orta, bounced the ball to Jack Clark at first, who tossed the ball to Todd Worrell covering, as umpire Don Denkinger emphatically signaled “Safe!” – a call that Denkinger later admitted he missed. Journalist Phil Ellenbecker wrote in the Sedalia (Missouri) Democrat that it wasn’t Denkinger who cost the Cardinals the 1985 World Series; rather, Steve Balboni did Here’s what happened.

While the Cardinals were still fuming over what should have been the first out, Balboni stepped to the plate. He lifted the first pitch high above the Royals’ dugout as Clark circled underneath it, but the ball – catchable by Clark’s own account– fell to the track. Exasperated Cardinal fans knew that should have been the second out. Balboni fouled the next pitch back with a swing so ferocious that play-by-play announcer Al Michaels exclaimed, “And Balboni [was] trying to hit that one onto the freeway.”The count was 0-and-2 to the man who led both leagues that year with 166 strikeouts in the regular season and already had 12 in the post-season. He was facing a pitcher who tied a World Series record just two nights earlier by fanning six consecutive batters. As 41,628 fans held their breath, Balboni pulled Worrell’s third pitch, a low outside fastball, through the hole into left field, putting runners on first and second with no outs – a good piece of clutch hitting.

What happened after that was exhilarating for Royals fans – and heartbreaking for Cardinal fans: the Darrell Porter passed ball; the Dane Iorg looping single to right to drive in two runs and end Game Six; and the 11-0 thrashing by the Royals the next day to give them the Series. Balboni went 8-for-25 with five walks, two runs scored, and three RBIs – two of them in Game Seven with a single through the same hole between third and short that he found the night before.

 

[shockedcanadian]

It was Steve Balboni, and it was an RBI single that I believe won the game for them. He was only 3-25 against Toronto. Everyone thought the Blue Jays would roll KC. The hit went off a chain link fence in the outfield and somehow bounced over it (maybe it hit something else, but there were still chain link fences in baseball and football stadiums back then, I remember that hit just because of that fence)




Balboni struggled at the plate with a .221 average in September and October of the regular season, and he remained cold in the 1985 AL Championship Series against Toronto when he went 3-for-25, although his RBI single in the bottom of the eighth in Game Three gave the Royals their first win. Led by AL MVP runner-up George Brett and the Royals’ pitching staff, Kansas City battled back from a three-games-to-one hole to beat the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven playoff, and they got back to the World Series for the second time in franchise history.56

On October 19, the NL champion St. Louis Cardinals came to Kansas City for Game One of the World Series. By the time the clubs got on I-70 and traveled east to St. Louis for Game Three, the underdog Royals were down two games to none. (Balboni went 2-for-8 and knocked in the first of the three runs the club scored in Kansas City.). After winning two of the three games in St. Louis (where Balboni went 2-for-10), the Comeback Kids headed back home.

Game Six was a nail-biter. The Cardinals went ahead 1-0 on Brian Harper’s pinch-hit, RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth inning off the Royals’ hard-luck hurler, Charlie Leibrandt. Each team went out quietly in their next half-inning, and Kansas City was down to its last three outs.

The lead-off batter in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter Jorge Orta, bounced the ball to Jack Clark at first, who tossed the ball to Todd Worrell covering, as umpire Don Denkinger emphatically signaled “Safe!” – a call that Denkinger later admitted he missed. Journalist Phil Ellenbecker wrote in the Sedalia (Missouri) Democrat that it wasn’t Denkinger who cost the Cardinals the 1985 World Series; rather, Steve Balboni did Here’s what happened.

While the Cardinals were still fuming over what should have been the first out, Balboni stepped to the plate. He lifted the first pitch high above the Royals’ dugout as Clark circled underneath it, but the ball – catchable by Clark’s own account– fell to the track. Exasperated Cardinal fans knew that should have been the second out. Balboni fouled the next pitch back with a swing so ferocious that play-by-play announcer Al Michaels exclaimed, “And Balboni [was] trying to hit that one onto the freeway.”The count was 0-and-2 to the man who led both leagues that year with 166 strikeouts in the regular season and already had 12 in the post-season. He was facing a pitcher who tied a World Series record just two nights earlier by fanning six consecutive batters. As 41,628 fans held their breath, Balboni pulled Worrell’s third pitch, a low outside fastball, through the hole into left field, putting runners on first and second with no outs – a good piece of clutch hitting.

What happened after that was exhilarating for Royals fans – and heartbreaking for Cardinal fans: the Darrell Porter passed ball; the Dane Iorg looping single to right to drive in two runs and end Game Six; and the 11-0 thrashing by the Royals the next day to give them the Series. Balboni went 8-for-25 with five walks, two runs scored, and three RBIs – two of them in Game Seven with a single through the same hole between third and short that he found the night before.

Yeah I remember Balboni. To me Brett was the star, just a terror at the plate. I don't remember the stats but it was his aura. He was in the heads of the Jays players and the fans.

Then he destroyed the Cardinals in the WS. He just always seemed to be on base.

 

[davebb]

I saw a stat a couple of weeks ago. The stat showed that the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen had the worst ERA from late July to early September. It was well over 6.
I have not checked lately; however, if they are still riding that, then they have no chance.

 

[Harry Dresden]

I remember that series, the Royals acted shocked when they beat them, I still remember the KC first baseman hitting a HR in Toronto that bounced off a chain link fence in the outfield. Of course, the Royal beating the Cardinals in the WS was only because of a horrendous call from the first base umpire calling someone safe (bottom of the 9th) when they were out by a full step. Game 6. No instant replay. They end up winning game 6 and there was nothing left for the Cards in game 7, it was a rout.

I have heard that Toronto has some of the best pitching of any team in baseball right now. They will need some hitting though if they want to win a playoff series.

their pitching aint that great....

 

[odanny]

They have won the AL East, now they wait for the winner of a great wildcard series between the Yankees and Red Sox, of which the Yankees will (should) win. If anyone is capable of beating them, it is the Red Sox.

Can Detroit find their mojo again? I doubt it, this Cleveland team is playing lights out and is exactly how you want to get into the playoffs.

https://www.mlb.com/postseason

 

[LA RAM FAN]

I remember that series, the Royals acted shocked when they beat them, I still remember the KC first baseman hitting a HR in Toronto that bounced off a chain link fence in the outfield. Of course, the Royal beating the Cardinals in the WS was only because of a horrendous call from the first base umpire calling someone safe (bottom of the 9th) when they were out by a full step. Game 6. No instant replay. They end up winning game 6 and there was nothing left for the Cards in game 7, it was a rout.

I have heard that Toronto has some of the best pitching of any team in baseball right now. They will need some hitting though if they want to win a playoff series.

O danny is a butthurt cardinal fan. FOR a long time i also believed the umpire stole that game for the royals as well but i have rewatched that 9th inning meltdown by the cards DOZENS of times and thats WHAT is was,a meltdown on their part.

EVEN if that ump makes the right call and calls him out,the cards could not get anybody else out after that.they fell apart from that bad call and lost their composure with darrel porter having a pass ball,jack clark misplaying a foul ball by balboni who then when on to hit a single,no sir the cards lost their compusure and went into meltdown mode unable to get anybody out after that.

also herzog is the one to blame for that loss as well. after dick howser sent in dan iorge to pinch hit,herzog brought in a reliever against him that Iorge ALWAYS had success against instead of bringing in a reliever he had available that he had TERRIBLE success again,Iorge could not believe it when he did not bring him in and brought in the reliever he had success against,he was very happy he said afterwards.

herzog is what beliecheat is in the NFL as the most overrated coach in NFL history,herzog is the most overrated manager in baseball history.

he ALWAYS made decisions that cost them the championship against the yankees. paul splittorf would be mowing down the yankees in the 9th inning and herzog always took him out and the reliever would blow the game for them. happened in 76 and 77.

I always said back then-MAN THE ROYALS COULD GET TO THE WORLD SERIES AND BEAT THE YANKEES IF THEY ONLY GOT RID OF HERZOG sure enough,true to form,i was a prophet,once they DID get rid of him,the royals SWEPT the yankees in 3 straight and finally made it to the series.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

I saw a stat a couple of weeks ago. The stat showed that the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen had the worst ERA from late July to early September. It was well over 6.
I have not checked lately; however, if they are still riding that, then they have no chance.

yeah that does not bode will for the jays,hoping they will sense they have the best chance,as long as it is not the yankees and astros i will be happy,the yankees and astros represent EVERYTHING that is wrong with baseball.

 

[Harry Dresden]

yeah that does not bode will for the jays,hoping they will sense they have the best chance,as long as it is not the yankees and astros i will be happy,the yankees and astros represent EVERYTHING that is wrong with baseball.

so whats wrong with baseball that eats you up?...

 

[LA RAM FAN]

so whats wrong with baseball that eats you up?...

so whats wrong with baseball that eats you up?...

your joking right? the good old days when i grew up when baseball was fun to watch in the 70's and 80's are over with,a time when EVERY team in MLB baseball had as much a chance as the next guy to go to the world series. back then,teams like the brewers,reds and pirates had just as much a chance as the yankees or dodgers to go to the world series,now only the BIG MARKET teams like the mets,dodgers,yankees and astros have any shot being in the world series. I have not watched a world series game sense the cubs won it all,who could NOT root for the Cubs after suffering for over a century?

then the year before that I also enjoyed watching the small market royals get to the series back to back.the yankees would NEVER have let eric hosmer go as the royals did. we BOTH know small market teams like the royals and pirates and reds would never be able to keep a derek jeter to play his entire career with their ballclub as he did with the yankees.

the good old days of the royals keeping a franchise HOF player to play their entire career for the royals like george brett and frank white are long gone overwith,everybody knows that.

if the NFL was run the way MLB is without revenue sharing,no way in hell would teams like the steelers and packers be in the playoffs every year as they are,the NFL with their revenue sharing,everybody is on the same playing level with as much chance as the other guy to get to the superbowl,thats they way it SHOULD be.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

O danny is a butthurt cardinal fan. FOR a long time i also believed the umpire stole that game for the royals as well but i have rewatched that 9th inning meltdown by the cards DOZENS of times and thats WHAT is was,a meltdown on their part.

EVEN if that ump makes the right call and calls him out,the cards could not get anybody else out after that.they fell apart from that bad call and lost their composure with darrel porter having a pass ball,jack clark misplaying a foul ball by balboni who then when on to hit a single,no sir the cards lost their compusure and went into meltdown mode unable to get anybody out after that.

also herzog is the one to blame for that loss as well. after dick howser sent in dan iorge to pinch hit,herzog brought in a reliever against him that Iorge ALWAYS had success against instead of bringing in a reliever he had available that he had TERRIBLE success again,Iorge could not believe it when he did not bring him in and brought in the reliever he had success against,he was very happy he said afterwards.

herzog is what beliecheat is in the NFL as the most overrated coach in NFL history,herzog is the most overrated manager in baseball history.

he ALWAYS made decisions that cost them the championship against the yankees. paul splittorf would be mowing down the yankees in the 9th inning and herzog always took him out and the reliever would blow the game for them. happened in 76 and 77.

I always said back then-MAN THE ROYALS COULD GET TO THE WORLD SERIES AND BEAT THE YANKEES IF THEY ONLY GOT RID OF HERZOG sure enough,true to form,i was a prophet,once they DID get rid of him,the royals SWEPT the yankees in 3 straight and finally made it to the series.

Danny SERIOUSLY needs to get over his butthurt as a cardinal fan and put the blame RIGHTFULLY where it belongs on herzog bringing in a reliever Iorge always had success against instead of one that was available he always had problems with that he did not bring in.

As i said before,even Iorge could not believe the reliever herzog brought in,he thought for sure he was going to bring in the one he never had success with and was THRILLED when he did not.

Herzog was a total dumbass that always cost the cardinals world series games. Had he been a competant manager they would have won BOTH those world series against the royals and twins.

herzogs managing skills ALSO cost them the world series against the twins two years later as well leaving in the starter instead of taking him out when he could obviously not get anybody out.

had that been the 3rd out then yeah that ump would have cost the cards the game,but even if he made the correct call it was NOT going to be the third out,face it,the cards lost their composure and went into meltdown mode.they couldnt get anybody out after that and herzogs MANAGING SKILLS,cost them the world series..

danny has me on ignore cause the truth hurts.

 

[odanny]

EVEN if that ump makes the right call and calls him out,the cards could not get anybody else out after that.

Your imagination of what would have/could have happened is one thing, but I"m talking about what actually happened. The call was blown and the game was changed.

 

[Harry Dresden]

your joking right? the good old days when i grew up when baseball was fun to watch in the 70's and 80's are over with,a time when EVERY team in MLB baseball had as much a chance as the next guy to go to the world series. back then,teams like the brewers,reds and pirates had just as much a chance as the yankees or dodgers to go to the world series,now only the BIG MARKET teams like the mets,dodgers,yankees and astros have any shot being in the world series. I have not watched a world series game sense the cubs won it all,who could NOT root for the Cubs after suffering for over a century?

then the year before that I also enjoyed watching the small market royals get to the series back to back.the yankees would NEVER have let eric hosmer go as the royals did. we BOTH know small market teams like the royals and pirates and reds would never be able to keep a derek jeter to play his entire career with their ballclub as he did with the yankees.

the good old days of the royals keeping a franchise HOF player to play their entire career for the royals like george brett and frank white are long gone overwith,everybody knows that.

if the NFL was run the way MLB is without revenue sharing,no way in hell would teams like the steelers and packers be in the playoffs every year as they are,the NFL with their revenue sharing,everybody is on the same playing level with as much chance as the other guy to get to the superbowl,thats they way it SHOULD be.

no im not joking....if you dont like baseball today ...dont watch it....

 

[leftwinger]

O danny is a butthurt cardinal fan. FOR a long time i also believed the umpire stole that game for the royals as well but i have rewatched that 9th inning meltdown by the cards DOZENS of times and thats WHAT is was,a meltdown on their part.

EVEN if that ump makes the right call and calls him out,the cards could not get anybody else out after that.they fell apart from that bad call and lost their composure with darrel porter having a pass ball,jack clark misplaying a foul ball by balboni who then when on to hit a single,no sir the cards lost their compusure and went into meltdown mode unable to get anybody out after that.

also herzog is the one to blame for that loss as well. after dick howser sent in dan iorge to pinch hit,herzog brought in a reliever against him that Iorge ALWAYS had success against instead of bringing in a reliever he had available that he had TERRIBLE success again,Iorge could not believe it when he did not bring him in and brought in the reliever he had success against,he was very happy he said afterwards.

herzog is what beliecheat is in the NFL as the most overrated coach in NFL history,herzog is the most overrated manager in baseball history.

he ALWAYS made decisions that cost them the championship against the yankees. paul splittorf would be mowing down the yankees in the 9th inning and herzog always took him out and the reliever would blow the game for them. happened in 76 and 77.

I always said back then-MAN THE ROYALS COULD GET TO THE WORLD SERIES AND BEAT THE YANKEES IF THEY ONLY GOT RID OF HERZOG sure enough,true to form,i was a prophet,once they DID get rid of him,the royals SWEPT the yankees in 3 straight and finally made it to the series.

Huh? The game was over if the UMP makes the right call? Series was over? Correct?

The only series Herzog lost as CARD MGR was to MINN fair and square. Cards could not hear in the metrodome was the only excuse ever made.

Puckett Gieatti Viola nothing to sneeze at. Herzog was great old time manager. Always squeezed out 7 exciting games. Unlike Larussa getting swept often at 2-3 teams.

Maybe Herzog was too old fashioned? But the best the Cards ever had in modern times.

Good LHP always beat STL back to Lolich. Viola also carved them up.

 

[odanny]

Herzog in 1987, the old Busch Stadium, loved that stadium.

November 9, 1931 – April 15, 2024

RIP Legend.

Whitey Herzog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[LA RAM FAN]

Your imagination of what would have/could have happened is one thing, but I"m talking about what actually happened. The call was blown and the game was changed.


View attachment 1168019

had the call been the 3rd out then the call would have cost the cards the game but it would been only the second out,they let the bad call affect their play and they lost composure over it unable to get anybody out after that. oh and it was not the umpire who made the idiot decision to bring in a reliever that dane iorge always had success against instead of a reliever that was available to herzog he always had HORRIBLE success against. Iorge could not believe it when herzog brought in the one he did and was expecting that other one he had bad success against,he was THRILLED when herzog brought him.

cardinal fans forget that little detail.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

View attachment 1168066
View attachment 1168067View attachment 1168068


Herzog in 1987, the old Busch Stadium, loved that stadium.

November 9, 1931 – April 15, 2024

RIP Legend.

Whitey Herzog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

the most overrated hack manager in baseball as beliecheat is in football.

 

[Harry Dresden]

View attachment 1168066

Herzog in 1987, the old Busch Stadium, loved that stadium.

November 9, 1931 – April 15, 2024

RIP Legend.

the most overrated hack manager in baseball as beliecheat is in football.

really?....18 years managing and he has a .532 winning percentage 3 pennants and a WS....how is that over rated?...