Estrada Brings It and Bautista Gets One Back
When I was a kid,
I watched the 1992 World Series documentary a lot
(it's on Youtube, kids.) I'm sure you know which one I mean. It was on VHS. It had the Sprague homer and they all said,
There were upside down flags. There were uncalled triple plays. There were racist chants. There were mullets. Jane Fonda prayed. The cover looked like this:
For whatever reason, the part that covered Jimmy Key's Game 4 win over Atlanta stands out in my memory. The way he doffed his cap to acknowledge the crowd and raised his eyebrows is etched in my brain.
I was reminded of Key's quiet ownage last night watching Marco Estrada.
Again.
I think about the moments from those great championship teams that people cherish still today. Marco Estrada delivered one of the best performances in one of the most important games in the history of the franchise. That was one to remember.
Estrada retired the side in the first, keeping Escobar and Zobrist off base in the first inning for the first time all series, and it set the tone for the whole game. Estrada has an easy, quiet confidence that reminds me a little of Mark Buehrle in the way he just rolls with it. He lulls them into thinking they can hit it and it just evaporates. His changeup is stealth.
One run and three hits over 7.2 innings. Gorgeous.
Pre-game, I was feeling a little nostalgic. I understood that this beautiful season could end that night. I also knew I hated watching that 14-2 pounding the night before, not just because they lost but because they weren't playing like themselves.
I had one wish for Game 5:
My only hope today is that the Blue Jays play like themselves. With joy, with passion, with exuberance and with fire. #cometogether — Joanna (@HumandChuck) October 21, 2015
Notice who is above the dugout, in line with the
Mastercard
logo. Must be a little weird for him. So many years in that dugout, so many years playing in this city, in this park and now a spectator.
Troy Tulowitzki is a Toronto Blue Jay. He will be a Toronto Blue Jay in 2016.
Notice how fired up he is. Fired up Troy is one of my favs. I also enjoy these Troys:
For reference, here is Troy with Baby and Baby Troy with Mullet. pic.twitter.com/cmKQI1sHLk — Joanna (@HumandChuck) October 22, 2015
Chris Colabello, who hit the winning run and who is truly a fantastic 2015 baseball story, was interviewed by the genius Alexis Brudnicki for Baseball America.
Seems like a good time to retweet @baseballexis' story on Chris Colabello's persistence. https://t.co/BJIYYg6e7opic.twitter.com/1Xdhq4fbKR — Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) October 21, 2015
Of course, because it's the playoffs and because people like to hate on Jose Bautista, the most controversial moment in the game was the end of an epic 10 pitch battle between Bautista and Royals' starter Edinson Volquez. Bautista fouled off what felt like dozens of upper 90s fastballs and eventually ran the count full.
This at bat is insane. Not sane. Insane. — Ben Ennis (@BennisSnet) October 21, 2015
He then looked at a pitch that was called a ball and Volquez walked the bases loaded to face Encarnacion with no outs.
calls this pitch the perfect borderline pitch. It was maybe in the zone, it was maybe low. It definitely crossed the plate. And Bautista kind of offered at it, but didn't really.
Anyone who watches baseball on a regular basis sees at least one of these things a game. Likely more than once a game. But given the situation, it's existence in that moment is magnified x 1000.
Sullivan outlines the entire situation, complete with percentages and GIFs.
The story out of Kansas City was not at all about Marco Estrada, but almost entirely about that particular moment.
Sal Perez, for his part, said that that never happened. I know sometimes an umpire will admit to a catcher that they might have missed a call, but I don't think it's something so formal as an apology and I definitely think an umpire might not like Volquez broadcasting that to the media. It may be why Sal Perez denied it.
Ned Yost, for his part, had this to say:
Well, a few things. One is it wasn't "definitely a strike", it was a borderline strike. A borderline low strike. Two is Bautista definitely didn't swing through. That particular pitch being a strike would depend on whether the umpire thought it caught the bottom of the zone. The umpire didn't think so. And it's not subject to review. Three is the inability to get anyone to address the swing/non-swing, doesn't the catcher cover that? Four is: Shut up, Ned Yost.
I don't know what it is about this team, but they are a little miserable. Between Johnny Cueto complaining about the bullpen mound and accusing the Jays of stealing signs, to Volquez complaining about getting squeezed, it's all a little churlish.
I'm on the fence about whether it was actually a strike, but this is how I see it. (And yes, of course, I'm biased.) Jose Bautista, in addition to being one of the best hitters in today's game, also has one hell of an eye at the plate. He led the AL in walks in 2015. Big time homer hitters traditionally strike out a lot. Fans of other teams (as well as some players) point out how often Bautista makes faces at the strike zone, but honestly, he's often right. Bautista has said he checks video after the game to see and he's about 70-80% right. He has been rung up on some garbage in the past. Often.
So Jose Bautista got one back. That's baseball.
