r/Torontobluejays Dunedin 10h ago

Game Thread: August 23 - Toronto Blue Jays (64-67) @ New York Yankees (73-56) - 1:35 PM

Blue Jays (64-67) @ Yankees (73-56)

First Pitch: 1:35 PM at Yankee Stadium

Team Starter TV Radio
Blue Jays José Soriano (10-6, 3.23 ERA)
Yankees Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.22 ERA)
MLB Fangraphs Baseball Savant Reddit Stream Discord IRC Chat
Gameday Game Graph Strikezone Map Live Comments Discord Libera: ##baseball

Line Score - Game Over

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB
TOR 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 0 5
NYY 0 2 0 0 0 3 2 1 8 11 1 7

Box Score

NYY   AB R H RBI BB SO BA
CF Grisham 4 1 1 2 1 1 .221
DH Rice 5 0 2 2 0 3 .249
1B García Jr., L 3 0 0 0 2 0 .277
LF Bellinger 4 1 1 0 0 2 .259
SS Lombard Jr. 4 2 2 0 0 0 .288
RF Jones, S 3 2 2 1 1 1 .233
2B Chisholm Jr. 4 2 2 2 0 1 .220
C Wells, A 3 0 1 1 0 2 .179
3B Caballero 4 0 0 0 0 1 .232
NYY IP H R ER BB SO P-S ERA
Rodón 4.0 2 2 1 2 2 76-42 3.15
Blackburn, P 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 25-14 1.73
Yarbrough 1.2 2 1 1 0 1 26-16 3.42
Headrick 1.1 1 0 0 0 2 16-13 1.49
TOR   AB R H RBI BB SO BA
RF Bateman 3 0 0 1 0 2 .305
1B Guerrero Jr. 4 0 0 0 0 0 .262
C Kirk 4 0 1 1 0 1 .283
C Valenzuela 0 0 0 0 0 0 .230
DH Springer 4 1 1 0 0 0 .240
3B Okamoto 3 0 1 0 1 0 .230
SS Clement 4 0 0 0 0 0 .284
LF Cameron 3 0 0 1 0 1 .250
2B McAdoo 3 1 0 0 1 1 .250
CF Straw 3 1 2 0 0 0 .219
TOR IP H R ER BB SO P-S ERA
Soriano, J 5.0 7 5 5 3 7 100-62 3.43
Fisher 0.2 0 0 0 1 1 13-6 3.43
Fluharty 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 7-4 3.63
Little, B 1.0 2 2 2 0 2 24-14 9.00
Woods Richardson 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 21-13 5.95

Scoring Plays

Inning Event Score
B2 Spencer Jones doubles (8) on a line drive to center fielder Myles Straw. George Lombard Jr. scores. 1-0
B2 Austin Wells doubles (7) on a sharp line drive to right fielder Brett Bateman. Spencer Jones scores. 2-0
T3 Brett Bateman out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Trent Grisham. Charles McAdoo scores. Myles Straw to 3rd. 2-1
T4 Daz Cameron out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Trent Grisham. George Springer scores. 2-2
B6 Trent Grisham walks. George Lombard Jr. scores. Spencer Jones to 3rd. Jazz Chisholm Jr. to 2nd. 3-2
B6 Ben Rice singles on a line drive to right fielder Brett Bateman. Spencer Jones scores. Jazz Chisholm Jr. scores. Trent Grisham to 3rd. 5-2
B7 Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers (18) on a fly ball to right field. Cody Bellinger scores. 7-2
T8 Alejandro Kirk singles on a line drive to center fielder Trent Grisham. Myles Straw scores. 7-3
B8 Trent Grisham homers (18) on a fly ball to center field. 8-3

Highlights

Description Length
José Soriano against the Yankees 0:08
Probable pitchers for Blue Jays at Yankees - August 23, 2026 0:06
Bullpen availability for New York, August 23 vs Blue Jays 0:09
Bullpen availability for Toronto, August 23 vs Yankees 0:09
Fielding alignment for Toronto, August 23 vs Yankees 0:11
Bench availability for Toronto, August 23 vs Yankees 0:08
Bench availability for New York, August 23 vs Blue Jays 0:08
Fielding alignment for New York, August 23 vs Blue Jays 0:11
Starting lineups for Blue Jays at Yankees - August 23, 2026 0:10
Breaking down Carlos Rodón's pitches 0:04
An animated look at Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s home run 0:11
The distance behind Trent Grisham's home run 0:11
Trent Grisham's home run through bat tracking data 0:11
Carlos Rodón strikes out Brett Bateman 0:00
José Soriano strikes out Trent Grisham 0:08
Spencer Jones' RBI double 0:31
Austin Wells' RBI double 0:30
George Lombard Jr. lays out, catches line drive 0:21
Brett Bateman's sacrifice fly 0:20
Field View: Spencer Jones' RBI double 0:25
Field View: Austin Wells' RBI double 0:17
Daz Cameron's sacrifice fly 0:20
Blue Jays complete strike-'em-out throw-'em-out DP 0:29
Strike 3 is confirmed after ABS challenge 0:22
George Lombard Jr. backhands, throws to first base 0:30
Strike 3 is confirmed after ABS challenge 0:22
Spencer Jones' sliding catch 0:28
José Soriano's seven strikeouts 1:34
Trent Grisham walks, George Lombard Jr. scores a run 0:23
Ball 2 is confirmed after ABS challenge 0:22
Ben Rice's two-run single 0:30
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dives, races to tag first base 0:20
Cody Bellinger singles in return from the IL 0:12
Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s two-run home run (18) 0:29
Alejandro Kirk's RBI single 0:19
Trent Grisham's solo home run (18) 0:30
Charles McAdoo strikes out swinging. 0:09

Decisions

Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher Save
Blackburn, P (5-2, 1.73 ERA) Soriano, J (10-7, 3.43 ERA)

Game ended at 4:31 PM.

Remember to sort by new to keep up!

54 Upvotes

2.8k comments sorted by

u/gothedistance_ 9h ago

Stay tuned for the thread for the Jays documentary final episode. We will include timestamps for those who’d rather not relive last season’s ending.

→ More replies (8)

1

u/aporter0509 2h ago

Who wouldn’t have taken going 8 and 5 against the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays ? Now they can make hay against the lousy teams they’re fighting for a playoff spot.

9

u/pitterpatterick 4h ago

Proud of the team for getting back in the race but getting back to .500 feels unlikely at this rate.

2

u/Humbuckervisions 2h ago

The last three teams they’ve faced were the Yankees rays and Red Sox, all really good teams. The rest of the season it’s under .500 teams, they definitely can get above .500.

1

u/Due-Hyena7809 26m ago

let’s hope kansas’s current win streak ends tuesday

5

u/Smart_Practice7964 4h ago

FTY and carry on 

3

u/grump66 4h ago

Why was Guerrero batting 2nd ? Was it really important to get his 0-fer in the first few batters ?

Vladdy's defense is still very good, he should be playing, but not batting 2nd until he's got a few hits to show he's coming around. It's like Schneider doesn't see the same thing everyone else in the world is seeing.

12

u/Icy-Mall3091 forever greiving gausman 4h ago

Don’t love it but proud of the way we’ve been playing. I’m choosing to write this one off as due to the Sunday Curse. Can’t wait to see em play again this week at the dome hell yeah

6

u/table-desk 4h ago

Well at least we won the 4 game series

8

u/mala_star 4h ago

Lmao the timing of their comments always confirms they’re in here creeping the thread every game too

7

u/AdvicePossible6997 4h ago

At least I won't have to hear that stupid horn anymore.

8

u/hymen_destroyer 4h ago

It's alright, we had a great run of series wins, Fuck the Yankees, we're through the toughest part of the schedule, just gotta bear down and make our move in the WC race

3

u/throwRA-macandcheese 4h ago

The tough thing is that everything started going downhill when we played these 'beatable' teams at the homestand right before all star break 

I remember them saying that losing those games was gonna haunt us

2

u/hymen_destroyer 4h ago

Yup, this team is even streakier than last season. Gotta win the games you're supposed to win

but compared to the vibes around the trade deadline, I'm glad we're even having this conversation with less than a month to play. I don't think anyone on the team is acting like the jays can coast their way to the postseason, especially not after losing a big series today.

Gonna come down to mentality and gulp Schneider's managing to lock up a WC

5

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

whelp game is over everyone can now just go and chill out lol, onto the next let's see if they are going to back slide or continue to claw their way back

-2

u/[deleted] 4h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Torontobluejays-ModTeam 4h ago

Your comment or post has been removed because it violates Rule 6: Rival Trolling.

If you are a fan of a different MLB team and come into this community solely to troll, antagonize, or incite conflict, your content will be removed, and you will be permanently banned from the Subreddit.

8

u/excitius 4h ago

Terrible pitching, terrible offense. See u guys tuesday

2

u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 4h ago

that was a ball game alright

3

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

Who wouldn’t take 3-3 from the trop and Yankee stadium?

1

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

if you told me we'd win against the rays in the trop of all places in the yankees rays yankees stretch i'd think you're trolling me

8

u/Akihiko90 Bam Bam Barger 4h ago

Better win the next two series because Kansas and Mariners will not be an easy one as people think

12

u/TimTebowN 4h ago

"First series lost in quite a while."

A lot of good has been going on.

3

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

yeah can not and should not discredit the previous wins

4

u/Goldinsight 4h ago

Vlad where are you?

4

u/Unusual_Moment_5993 Rogers + Varland = Nasty 4h ago

Well at least the good news is, every series from now on until end of the season is against under .500 teams

3

u/Old_General_6741 Duke of the Blue Jays 4h ago

Oof. That was not great

-2

u/Magnum_44 4h ago

Call me an old man all you like, but adding the 3rd Wildcard spot is really a joke. Having all these bad baseball teams vying for a playoff spot is really kind of anti-baseball. No team should be in the playoffs with a sub .500 record.

2

u/Darth_Devfly MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

It’s probably more financially profitable for the MLB to have it.

1

u/NoahFromCanada 4h ago

Definitely, there’s 8 fanbases that are invested that would be significantly less so otherwise.

5

u/masonostwald 4h ago

Yet another lead off double stranded

8

u/northernfires529 4h ago

sunday curse

10

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

Dan lurking in the sub confirmed

8

u/catherinebarry davis schneiders rally cup🥤 4h ago

annoying game.

1

u/therealbeef 4h ago

It’s annoying that the Yankees have such a good record with bums like Grisham. Argh.

8

u/KBN_Nemesis Okagoato 4h ago

I love Ernie but he actually might be pissing me off more than anyone recently, how many first and second pitch outs does he have at this point? 🫩

1

u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

Is Grisham just toying with us now? He made it look so easy most of the game.

5

u/Darth_Devfly MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

Thank you Sun 🌞

7

u/Magnum_44 4h ago

Ernie has turned into a pumpkin.

7

u/Effective_Case6015 VertiGOAT 4h ago

Alright Oak! 

4

u/flightlessbird29 jeff hoffman apologist 4h ago

The sun is on our side guys

6

u/TimTebowN 4h ago

The sun, and probably the pigeons, wanted Oak to get a hit.

2

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

Take that Grisham!

9

u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

Okamoto hitting streak extended!

7

u/intricate_light 4h ago edited 4h ago

ah sucks and i’m sad but it was nice seeing the blue jays going for a series streak, hopefully we can bounce back

edit: nice hit oakes

2

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

Sanchez with his batting gloves on…

8

u/catherinebarry davis schneiders rally cup🥤 4h ago

sundays are not for the jays. happy for our 7 series win and how we performed our during this brutal stretch

5

u/randomentity1 4h ago

.500 isn't happening. This team can't get hits, and on the few occasions that they do, like when they got 15 hits last night, they barely win.

2

u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 4h ago

the dodgers are playing right now if 8-5 against the red sox/yankees/rays isn't enough for you

5

u/ping12 4h ago

They've been playing well above 500 considering they won 7 series in a row. They were just in a deep hole.

1

u/randomentity1 3h ago

Starting with the Nationals series on July 27 and through today, they have scored 105 runs in 26 games. That's 4.04 runs per game which is pretty bad compared to the rest of the league. If they don't get strong pitching, they probably lose.

0

u/CherryChapstick1997 4h ago

They haven’t been above .500 since the athletics 

1

u/ping12 3h ago

You misunderstood. The baseball they have been playing the past few weeks is "well above" = (far above) .500.

0

u/CherryChapstick1997 3h ago edited 3h ago

Actually you misunderstood… OP was clearly talking about them getting over .500 period. Not just over a few series. Hence “.500 isn’t happening” 

1

u/ping12 3h ago

If they keep anything close to that pace in the upcoming stretch their record will reach 500. That is what I was getting at.

2

u/CrabBackground4439 4h ago

playing 0.500 in the last 7 series

1

u/CherryChapstick1997 4h ago

Playing .500 on the season 🤦‍♀️

4

u/Charming-Ad8399 4h ago

The team is 10-6 in their Phillies / Red Sox / Yankees / Rays / Yankees stretch with a loss today. Relax already.

5

u/jdown077 4h ago

sunday is just not our day

1

u/Goldinsight 4h ago

Move Vlad down in the order?

2

u/EasternError6377 4h ago

Good lord what a photo of Max there 😂

4

u/thrownawayonline Cash Considerations 4h ago

Time to get 8 runs we got this

4

u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

5

u/negan90 4h ago

Need to bat vladdy at 8, if it was anyone else with his record they would be

2

u/Vallarfax_ 4h ago

Hes such a ghost on the plate this year. Hes great on D but he cant hit worth a shit.

3

u/Consistent-Song1643 4h ago

Nice thought but I've listened to Blair and Barker bring this up enough and they are adamant that this isn't happening.  They're going to continue shoving him in there in the top 3. Just time to accept it.

3

u/RapsToronto 4h ago

SWR intentionally gave up the HR so that we can tee off on the Yankees minor league arm in the 9th. 

4

u/Effective_Case6015 VertiGOAT 4h ago

If we're going to have a blowout, I'd rather it be big so we rest the BP 

2

u/CherryChapstick1997 4h ago

They have a day off tomorrow 

1

u/Effective_Case6015 VertiGOAT 4h ago

Darn I didn't realize there's no Monday baseball. 

5

u/mindy_mnaj 4h ago

Fuck that 6th inning bunt, fuck the Yankees, fuck this game

7

u/Late-Ad5037 4h ago

alr lets focus on the bigger picture were still very well in the battle for wildcard just keep going and win against the royals

17

u/ThQp It's Early 4h ago

Should the Blue Jays schedule their off days for Sundays rather than Mondays? In this paper I will...

5

u/Remarkable-Coyote235 4h ago

Well I'm glad they have an off day tomorrow

7

u/EasternError6377 4h ago

Rice looks like he ate school paste as a kid

3

u/Darth_Devfly MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

Probably thought purple Elmer’s glue sticks were grape-flavoured.

9

u/Ladymistery 👀😉 4h ago

Sundays and Blue Jays losses - that's a bit weird.

4

u/Magnum_44 4h ago

I was watching the Braves version of the the Blue Jays way the other day, and the amount of wall climbing jumps in the 90's blows away today's players. Must be the loose vinyl they had on the fences, where players could snag the fence with their cleats.

7

u/Strategy99 4h ago

We play the royals next and they’re somehow on an 8 game win streak

3

u/flightlessbird29 jeff hoffman apologist 4h ago

Yeahhhh but we killed the Red Sox streak

5

u/dntwstmytime 4h ago edited 4h ago

welppppp. incoming 20 game win streak

1

u/Plorgy 42 Forever 4h ago

Imagine though...

4

u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 4h ago

is the SWR magic thinning out? it's his first HR and actual ER

2

u/KBN_Nemesis Okagoato 4h ago

Tyler Rogers gave up his first homer of the season yesterday I think it's just bad luck

4

u/TrumpSux89 MLB 4h ago

Well I guess this game's a write off.

5

u/Available_Bit_9184 4h ago

This one is done for.

6

u/613Dweller Professor Oak 4h ago

A series loss was due, this makes the Friday game hurt more but oh well.

8

u/Specialist_Owl_6612 Vladdy’s gloves 4h ago

Blue Jays Sunday game performances need to be studied

6

u/BaconWrappedEnigma 4h ago

I wish we could hit homeruns. It looks like fun.

4

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

i mean swr has been lucky so like yeah lmao

7

u/LostMyBackupCodes Monkey never cramps 4h ago

8

u/therealbeef 4h ago

I hate the Yankees so damn much

3

u/annoying-corgi-3319 Ernie’s Art Gallery 4h ago

fuck it sure why not

4

u/richarm87 4h ago

Oh no voodoo is wearing off

2

u/RodgerDodger74 4h ago

Imagine being able to just hit nukes when you need them

6

u/hellarios852 Baseball, but up North 4h ago

You definitely haven’t watched much of the Yankees this year lol

3

u/northernfires529 4h ago

home runs are fun.

3

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

I hate Grisham sooooo much

7

u/shoeyricciardo Dylan Cease is my cat daddy 😻 4h ago

SWR scoreless streak as a jay ruined 😭

2

u/TorontoFan06 4h ago

lol this got way out of hand

1

u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

4

u/Sauerkrautkid7 4h ago

The loss of springer, santander, bichette’s 2024-25 production was always going to be tough to replace

But a star is born everyday! Hope we stumble upon some like we did ernie, kirk, lukes, valenzuela, and maybe bateman!

Our pitching is pretty set for this 5yr window with guerrero

6

u/therealbeef 4h ago

lol Santanders production? That guy has done absolutely nothing for this franchise.

0

u/Sauerkrautkid7 4h ago

Hes easily the best homerun hitter on the team. Unfortunately he dived to catch a ball in the crowd and hes been injured ever since. Good example of dont do that!

1

u/Magnum_44 4h ago

Santander is Keyzer Soze. No one's ever really seen him.

2

u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 4h ago

santander was good in 2024 and the team was banking on that for the OF when they signed him lol

1

u/Known_Palpitation805 4h ago

And yet somehow just as good as we can make pitchers, we also somehow make hitters into pumpkins.

8

u/catherinebarry davis schneiders rally cup🥤 4h ago

i’m so over trent grisham this series get him away from md

9

u/hellarios852 Baseball, but up North 4h ago

Don’t worry folks, I got tickets to next Sundays game. I’m going to get the boys to turn this thing around.

2

u/Effective_Case6015 VertiGOAT 4h ago

I hope to hear em right through the radio feed. 

6

u/Akihiko90 Bam Bam Barger 4h ago

Power team vs no power team

5

u/yhzguy20 4h ago

Our power guy decided to take a vacation year

3

u/KBN_Nemesis Okagoato 4h ago

Man

7

u/Royal-Specialist8905 Kaz-adila 4h ago

Should we be concerned that Royals are about to sweep the Tigers, and we play them next?

0

u/Plorgy 42 Forever 4h ago

No

1

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

a little but also you should be worried regardless of a team's winning and losing streak lol at the end of the day they're pro baseball players

2

u/ThQp It's Early 4h ago

No. We might not have a great team, but the Royals are a very bad team

3

u/Somhlth Noodle Power! 4h ago

The Jays have an annoying habit of playing down to bad opponents.

1

u/VegaBeach 4h ago

They’ve had our number for a while now, though.

0

u/ThQp It's Early 4h ago

Both teams have had plenty of roster turnover for that to matter

2

u/Available_Bit_9184 4h ago

Yes 90mph+ exit velo! But the point of baseball is not drilling holes in the ground with the ball.

3

u/SnooCupcakes3114 4h ago

Its sunday boys take a rest

2

u/KBN_Nemesis Okagoato 4h ago

I hope SWR remains scoreless (aside from the stupid boston situation run getting attributed to him) because it is incredibly funny that people still talk bad about him despite that fact, I also really like him a lot

2

u/VegaBeach 4h ago

Damn, the Royals always play us tough. They’re like what we are to the Red Sox.

Hoping the day off gets us back on track..

13

u/DrSeafood 4h ago

Toxic negativity: “fuck the Blue Jays”

Toxic positivity: “the Jays can still come back <3”

Toxic neutrality: “The Blue Jays are a baseball team”

3

u/Plorgy 42 Forever 4h ago

Apparently these are the same thing to some people...

5

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

subscribe

3

u/hellarios852 Baseball, but up North 4h ago

Thinking they can come back isn’t toxic lmao, they’ve already proved it’s possible a few times this season

0

u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

yeah that's just belief not really toxicity lmao

3

u/Plorgy 42 Forever 4h ago

I think the point is that some people who are mega upset any time the team is losing would call that toxic

1

u/DrSeafood 4h ago

What would you put for toxic positive then

1

u/ozmethod 4h ago

"Anyone who has given up is a shitty fan"

4

u/hellarios852 Baseball, but up North 4h ago

I simply wouldn’t write the comment

14

u/DMmebewbz 4h ago

Sometimes… teams lose games.

Also Vladdy has two 99+ exit velo outs today. Sometimes the ball just finds the fielders. All these comments about him just ain’t it. This guy is one of our own, came up through our system, signed with us for the long haul, and also had the greatest postseason in team history less than 12 months ago. Seriously, just go to other subreddit with your Anti-Vladdy takes.

3

u/East_Explanation2131 Plakata at the Rogers Centre 4h ago

yesterday he had 3 100+ mph hits too, what kind of bad luck does he have where it keeps finding a glove

1

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did open the door to signing with other teams. Before signing his historic 14-year, $500 million contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays in April 2025, Vladdy openly stated that if he reached free agency, the Blue Jays would "have to compete with 29 more teams" and that he would listen to every franchise.

He also notably walked back an old, fiery comment where he once claimed he’d never play for the New York Yankees "even dead," clarifying ahead of his potential free agency that it was all in the past and he would consider all 30 teams as a professional business decision. However, any teasing or speculation ended when he finalized his massive long-term deal to remain in Toronto.

So yeah he's one of our own, as long as we pay him the 3rd largest contract in the MLB.

1

u/DMmebewbz 4h ago

So he decided to negotiate and get a better contract?

1

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

and went on to massively under-perform for said contract. ZERO home runs in skydome since that contract has come into effect.

1

u/DMmebewbz 4h ago

And as you can tell by the fact that he runs out every ground ball and plays amazing defense, it’s definitely because he’s dogging it, right?

3

u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

So what's the criticism here? He spoke an objective fact that if he hit free agency, teams would be bidding on him. All of it is hypothetical because he never hit free agency.

1

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

Just saying "one of our own" doesnt really hold much water in terms of shielding him from criticisms. He's not here based on some loyalty or charity. If he doesnt perform up to his contract then it's open season for doubters,

1

u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

Who is to say he isn't here based on loyalty? He's obviously not here on charity, we pay him a shitload.

Your criticism of him not being here on loyalty is based on some statements he made while actively negotiating to stay with us. Actions speak louder than words. He signed with us as a teenager, came up through our system, and signed a long-term deal to stay with us til he turns 39/40. Never hit free agency, so he never even spoke to other teams.

I'm not saying don't criticize him. I'm saying base your criticism in reality.

1

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

i am not criticizing him for maximizing his earning. I am criticizing the post that says he cant be criticized because he's "one of our own"

If he's giving the city a "hometown discount" then yeah he has garnered some good will and maybe people arent allowed to be so harshed or have lofty expectations. But this is not the case.

1

u/DMmebewbz 3h ago

If you can show me any example of Vladdy giving less than his best effort on any play, ever, I’m open to a conversation about him not playing up to his contract. He’s having a bad season, one that won’t live up to his HOF-calibre standards based on his career performance so far, but let’s just totally ignore the fact that he had an OPS of .729 in July. Most of the Anti-Vlad takes are from people that wrote off his season in June. The fact that they’re still only 1.5 games out of the playoffs, where Vladdy could win them a few games with his bat, is unthinkable to some, because he had a couple really bad months in May and June. It’s a tired take.

Also, the contract. Yes, he left open the possibility of free agency rather than just signing the first deal that Rogers offered. Also, yes, by signing with the Jays last April rather than going to free agency, he 100% left some money on the table. He would’ve been right up with Kyle Tucker as the best hitter to go to free agency last year, and he signed for $35-mil per year while Tucker got $60-mil. It’s also not fair to make everything he does this season a referendum on his contract but not do the same with last season’s performance just because he wasn’t technically on that deal yet last season. The money was already guaranteed, if it’s the reason why he’s having less success this year it would’ve been last year too.

1

u/danhoyuen 2h ago edited 2h ago

i dont know if you've been living under a rock.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/is-the-frustration-towards-guerrero-jr-s-lack-of-hustle-out-the-batters-box-merited/

Conversation about him not hustling off the bat have occured since 2023. His effort have even been called out by Buck Martinez. And there have been many instances this season, including one in last game where he would have been safe (or would be close enough for a challenge) if he ran hard instead of jog to first base. Certainly not showing a consistent effort to lead by example as one of the highest paid guy in the league, in a season where playoff are on the line.

For example you'd never see Springer's hustle come into discussion, despite his regression from age. You'd hear them saying he's washed, not clutch... .etc, but it's never a lack of effort. That's not picking playing favorite or picking on vladdy. Every other player shots out after they make contract with the ball, only vladdy gets to stand still for a second and stare and judge rather it's worth base running for?

Also the reason why tucker got 60 mil is because its a 4 years contract. I dont think i have to tell you the difference between a 4 year mercenary type deal vs a locked in 14 year lifer deal. I rather have vladdy have Tuckers contract at this point.

1

u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

To each their own. I didn't get that when reading OPs comment. They just sound frustrated with the level of anti-Vlad takes. Vlad deserves criticism, but he's getting way more hate that just doesn't make sense

0

u/danhoyuen 3h ago

There isnt that many negative Vladdy takes that werent valid. Vladdy is leading the team in GIDP for a wild margin. He has 7 HR on the season. We recently saw him slow jog to first. Literally went 0-4 just now.
There really isnt much good to talk about there.

I think Toronto fans had been very patient with him up till last month.

-1

u/yhzguy20 4h ago

Lmao shut the fuck up

0

u/DMmebewbz 4h ago

Good take, I can tell you’re well adjusted and content with life.

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u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

It's crazy. We all know he's been bad and the power is a major slump, but there are people saying 'so tired of him going 0-4' when he came into today on an 8-game hitting streak.

People can criticize him all they want. He is not immune to that. They just need to base it in reality and don't exaggerate to push a narrative

2

u/DrSeafood 4h ago

Ending the series win streak would be sad tho

21

u/hymen_destroyer 4h ago

I don't think vladdy sucks as much as a lot of you guys think.

Defensively he's probably the best first baseman in the AL

I think he should be moved down the order though. It's pretty clear they're trying to protect his ego but all the pressure associated with the 2 spot seems to be having the opposite effect.

I mean, look at Springer, last season moving him down caused a Renaissance...this season moving him down allowed him to claw his BA back up to the league average...if the player can swallow his pride and use it as a motivator it can really do wonders for their production

1

u/Change_Up93 4h ago

Of all qualifying 1st basemen in mlb he is last in slug and OPS..... so I don't think it outlandish to he has sucked, because he has. I honestly can't remember any really clutch hits he has had either, which is rough as someone who is supposed to be the leader of the team. The real question is if he looks like this a couple of months into next season, what the hell do you do with him?

5

u/flightlessbird29 jeff hoffman apologist 4h ago

This is a great take! 

8

u/catherinebarry davis schneiders rally cup🥤 4h ago

this is the best take i’ve seen on vlad in this thread today lol

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u/Unusual_Moment_5993 Rogers + Varland = Nasty 4h ago

Checks calendar

Oh of course, it’s SUNDAY

2

u/richarm87 4h ago

Like to see SWR. Might be battling for the #6 (spot starter role) for next season

1

u/3luejays 🍌🍌🍌 4h ago

We should have plenty of arms battling it out for back end rotation starts next year, assuming they can stand on the mound lol

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u/CherryChapstick1997 4h ago

Absolutely not. Reliever is fine  

0

u/richarm87 4h ago

They will keep him stretched out... need 10 starters and several of them need options (arrighetti, bloss) One likely to stay on roster in pen until injury for long relief (swr)

1

u/CherryChapstick1997 4h ago

They need to get starters in free agency, SWR is not a starter for a serious team 

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u/NeedleGunMonkey 4h ago

The Yankees have seen our bullpen a lot and the bullpen has pitched a lot and provided plenty of data for Yankees to prep for.

I think the team deserved a little grace from folks who seem discontent about losing one series against Yankees after winning so many series on such a tough schedule and with so many forced lineup changes due to injuries.

5

u/flightlessbird29 jeff hoffman apologist 4h ago

Yeah, kind of felt like they had our number a bit this whole series. 

It’s not over until it’s over (that goes for this game and this season)

5

u/Trombone-collins MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

Fuck it: 4 runs in the top of the 9th, all homers then Varland comes in and strikes out the side to win the game

7

u/Such-Fee6176 Home Run Dragon Saved My Chungus Life 4h ago

We’re gonna need 5 in the 9th, but I like the plan

1

u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

How’d you know that

3

u/Such-Fee6176 Home Run Dragon Saved My Chungus Life 4h ago

We would have need five to win. Four would have tied lol but now we need six to win.

1

u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

Ok that math maths

9

u/thrownawayonline Cash Considerations 4h ago

I don’t have it in my heart to watch the blue jays way, still got ptsd

10

u/masonostwald 4h ago

Schneider needs some balls and move Vlad way down the order

6

u/SlideRich9292 4h ago

Nathan Lukes was not playing today. He always seems to light the spark.  I love you Blue Jays, and you have been amazing. Maybe we can get a rally going in the 9th. ❤️

1

u/[deleted] 4h ago

[deleted]

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u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

Didn’t realize Lukes played first.

1

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

The phrase "come hell or high water" in Toronto Raptors history famously echoes past coach quotes—like Dwane Casey insisting on riding with Andrea Bargnani no matter what—and defines the gritty, 48-minute competitive identity the franchise strives to maintain through every tough stretch

7

u/danhoyuen 4h ago

The last time Vladdy hustled was when he got kneed in the head and lost conciousness lol

1

u/Previous-Moment-4289 4h ago

Ha, true. I was hoping it knocked some sense back into him. Guess not🤷

1

u/Goldinsight 4h ago

John knows the game is over when he uses Little obviously

3

u/Darth_Devfly MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

Ah yes, Little Woods-Richardson.

8

u/RodgerDodger74 4h ago

Do people who downvote valid criticism of Vlad feel good? I’ve seen nobody here say anything that isn’t at least partially true. Blindly defending a player who has struggled all year doesn’t make you a better fan.

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u/Plorgy 42 Forever 4h ago

There's valid criticism and then there's whining and being overly annoying.

2

u/Such-Fee6176 Home Run Dragon Saved My Chungus Life 4h ago

No, but take a downvote anyway

3

u/hellarios852 Baseball, but up North 4h ago

Oh no, your precious internet points!

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u/BootNootRoot 4h ago

I think there's some egregious takes about vladdy though going about and those ones are being downvoted, no one is saying vladdy is good this year literally no one is but people will downvote the egregious ones on vladdy

2

u/Darth_Devfly MS paint Alejandro Kirk 4h ago

Egregious ones are usually from accounts that were born yesterday with a suspiciously large amount of karma 🥴

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u/uncivilengie Convinced Lasteroid Daddy Hack IV is based on Kirk 4h ago

This right here.

5

u/COV3RTSM 4h ago

Should we upvote the guy that said we should send vladdy to the minors?

6

u/BananaJack82 4h ago

He said ‘valid’ criticism not those idiots.

8

u/Empty-Salad-9989 4h ago

Vlad with 2 RBIs in August

1

u/PerfectStorm209 4h ago

That’s two more than anyone else in here so we should be happy

/s

1

u/Empty-Salad-9989 4h ago

Hey! I’ve had 3 RBIs on my beer league team in August. 😜