One Step Short

image via yahoo dot com

It has been a couple of weeks since the Toronto Blue Jays lost a crushing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers and I am still in disbelief. I was lucky enough to be at Game 6 and everything that happened in the bottom of the 9th is still fresh in my head. Myles Straw was on first and Barger hit what I thought was an inside the park home run and then everything after that was a blur. Barger's hit wound up being an ground rule double and there were runners on second and third with nobody out and Gimenez at the plate and Springer looming. The score was 3-1. Disaster struck and Barger was doubled off at second on an extremely shallow fly ball by Gimenez. It took a great play by Rojas to tag Barger out, but to not cash in a single run in that situation was heartbreaking.

Gausman was dominant in the early part of the game, but the third is when he allowed all three runs and that was enough for the Dodgers to squeak out a win. With regards to the play in question where the ball got stuck and was ruled a ground rule double, it is what it is. The Dodgers got lucky that the ball hit the one spot on the wall where it could get stuck, it got stuck and that was that. I have seen many other similar plays where the out fielder picks up the ball, play continues and when the umpire does not call that play as a ground rule double so who knows what the damn rule is? Am I bitter? Yes. To cost a team a chance at winning a World Series game over a rule that is not clear is sort of a joke to me. The MLB is taking a step in the right direction next season by implementing balls and strike challenges, but there is more that has to be done. I just hope it does not take another 20 years to make the necessary changes.

image via upi dot com

Game 7 was another classic that came down to the very end. Bichette gave the Jays the early lead with a three-run bomb that stuck all the way to the ninth inning. Extra innings was more of the insane action that this entire play off run has produced and a Blue Jays win came down to mere inches if not less. My take on the IKF play is that he did what he was supposed to do and everything I have read from former players think the same way. So to all the self proclaimed experts on social media, respectfully keep your opinions to yourself because they are completely inaccurate.

Another thing I have to say about the World Series is that I experienced first hand why certain fan bases can not stand the Los Angeles Dodgers. There is something about the team that breeds a type of arrogance and ignorance that is not professional at all. Even players that I respect such as Mookie Betts said things such as they did not play their best and did not give respect to their opponent, which I thought was a given especially in a championship scenario. Nope, not in Dodger land.

At the end of the day the Blue Jays gave their passionate fan base everything they had and then some and there is nothing that I can be upset about. Sure, losing sucks but I did not expect anything going into this past season. A major positive going into this off season is also that Toronto is not a destination point for big time free agents. A lot of the positive things said by the Blue Jays players and wives are things that will lure players to want to play for a winner. This team showed that anything is possible and that a team that has solid chemistry and genuinely cares about each other can go a long way.