They have Salvador Perez hitting seventh. “I don’t know what the plan is right now, but we’re going to stick with it”.
That’s right, little remembered by all but die-hard baseball fans of Generation X is the fact that the Royals and the Blue Jays once played a classic seven-game American League Championship Series in 1985 that resulted not only in a pennant for Kansas City, but ended almost two weeks later with the Royals’ only World Series win.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Thursday that the rotation will allow all the starters to get their required rest before they throw. “His ball was ducking and darting everywhere”.
Volquez pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, while walking four and striking out five. His only trouble occurred when he walked the first two batters in the sixth, but he bounced back to strike out Troy Tulowitzki and escape it. Maybe the Royals learned from the past and will calm down in the playoffs. “I don’t know. I was just making my pitches”.
Berry replaces rookie shortstop Addison Russell, who strained his left hamstring during Game 3 of the NL Division Series against St. Louis.
Its not just what has gone on this postseason, or even in the regular season, that makes this ALCS matchup so juicy. The initial report was a strain of the ligament and Encarnacion was listed as day-to-day. “It’s never happened in my life before”, he said. The Blue Jays need Price to be in regular season form in Game 2, or they could be staring at a big 2-0 series deficit. The blueprint to beat the Blue Jays was laid out on Friday night - throw a lot of fastballs, but locate them well or else you’re in for a bad night.
There was plenty of emotion in that series, too.
Yost moved Escobar back to the leadoff spot late in the season, and the Royals won their last five games to wrap up the best record in the American League and secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. Price was one of several acquisitions made by the Blue Jays at the July 31 trade deadline.
Edison Volquez hit Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson in the shoulder to start the August 2nd game. “He was crying like a baby”. And to nobody’s surprise, Donaldson was booed lustily by the Kansas City crowd on Friday night.
The Royals broke through first with two runs in the third. Kansas City’s Ryan Madson would later hit Tulowitzki while Toronto’s Aaron Sanchez hit Alcides Escobar, which emptied both bullpens and led to Sanchez’s ejection. It was the third home run of the post-season for the star catcher.
As shaky was Estrada was, Volquez was downright stoic as he circled the mound.
“These are the two best in the AL playing for the AL championship, ” said Toronto’s Chris Colabello.
Bautistas reaction wasnt taken well by the Rangers, who essentially called it bush league, and the entire affair touched off a wide-spread debate about decorum. But, now that we’ve come out on the other side, there are a few important lessons that can be learned from how our beloved Jays handled themselves during the tumultuous showdown against the Texas Rangers.
Jose Bautista went down looking in the fourth inning, while Encarnacion struck out looking in the sixth. Donaldson eventually drew a walk, flipped his bat as he left the box, which irked Volquez.
“It is extremely important to win the opener”, Hosmer said.
As the Yankees survey the free agent market, Zobrist is surely going to stand out as one of the possibilities that best fits their roster.
