Make it two straight seasons with a trip to the ALCS for the Toronto Blue Jays.
And this year, they hope to make it one step further to the World Series, a place the Jays haven’t been since the glory years of the early 1990s.
Standing in their way is Cleveland, the former organization of many key members of the Jays’ front office, including president and CEO Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins.
The jokes are flying around that Shapiro will be happy no matter which team wins, and while it’s true that his stamp has been left on both remaining AL clubs, it’s clear Shapiro wants to see the team currently signing his cheques go all the way.
Cleveland certainly did Shapiro a favour by sweeping away the Jays’ division rival Red Sox, a team that appeared on paper to be a tougher matchup for Toronto.
But even Boston’s league-leading offense was held in check by Cleveland’s pitching staff, allowing just seven runs in three games – the fewest the Red Sox scored in any three-game series this season.
Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer lead the way for Cleveland in the starting rotation, and relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen anchor the bullpen. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, it gets a little dicey for Cleveland after those four pitchers.
Due to long-term injuries suffered by starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, Cleveland is forced to roll with Josh Tomlin in Game 3. A soft-tossing control specialist, Tomlin is as enigmatic as they come; he surrendered 36 home runs during the 2016 season, but only walked 20 batters.
And it’s even bleaker for Game 4, as Cleveland manager Terry Francona will either turn to rookie righty Mike Clevinger – sporting an ERA north of 5 – or an all-bullpen game, something which Jays’ bats would relish.
There’s also a possibility that Francona goes back to Kluber for Game 4, but the results of Games 1-3 will surely dictate whether that will be necessary.
No matter how it plays out, Toronto can lay claim to the overall pitching advantage initially, with Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman combining with a bullpen performing at its highest level all year.
And as far as offense goes, the Jays appear to have a slight edge there as well. Toronto outscored Cleveland 22-15 in their respective ALDS and out-homered them 8-5.
All year, the familiar refrain has been: “if the bats get going, look out” for the Blue Jays. If they can recapture some of last season’s hitting magic, the Jays could prove too much for Cleveland.
But even for the neutral baseball fan, this series has a lot to offer. Two teams coming off sweeps, rested, and ready for a best-of-seven showdown. A victory for Toronto ends a 23-year-long World Series appearance drought; for Cleveland, it would be their first trip back to the Fall Classic since 1997.
The battle to decide the American League pennant kicks off Friday night.
Chris Suppa is a freelance writer and photographer based in Toronto. Follow him at @Suppa55 for somewhat-coherent ramblings about the Blue Jays and on Instagram at @chrissuppaphotography.
