Thursday 10 September 2015

Jays vs. Yankees The Biggest Series In Over Twenty Years

      The last time there was a series this important to the Toronto Blue Jays, there was no internet. There were no mobile phones and no DVD players. Infamously, that series ended with Joe Carter prancing around the bases throwing his arms in the air as the Jays secured their second world series title in as many years. It's been a long time coming to say the least.


     The Jays enter this series with a record of 79-60 with a 1.5 game lead on their division rival, the New York Yankees. While these two teams have been jockeying for the division lead for the better part of the last month and a half, the Jays find themselves atop the division for quite the long time considering they were barely squeaking past .500 before the additions of Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. The next 4 games for both these clubs will be a major impact to the post-season picture. If one team runs away with this series, we could see our definitive leader in the division heading into the post-season. And without a doubt, both teams will be firing on all cylinders in the Bronx.


     The first game of the series has been rained out, they have rescheduled Thursday night's contest to Saturday, which will be the second of a double-header that will begin at 1:05pm local time. Friday night's game is still penciled in at the original time, with David Price set to take the hill against Yankees rookie Luis Severino. It is crucial that the Jays come out of the gates strong and get the momentum rolling early in this series after they were taken care of easily at the hands of the basement-dwelling Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this week. If the Jays can't turn a new leaf and move on from the Boston series, the Jays could be orchestrating their own demise. The Jays are 5.5 games up on the wild card spot if that's where they're headed, and these two teams do meet again in two weeks time for a three-game set, but the time is now for the Jays to put their best foot forward against the Yankees. This series comes at a particularly bad time for the Jays due to their lack of success as of late, but that being said it could also be a huge confidence booster for the club.


     In the eyes of the Blue Birds, a split of the series is not an option. To keep the Yankees that close with a series to go will come back to bite you. Luckily, the final series between the Yankees and Jays is in Toronto, but you don't want to take any chances with a team like the Bronx Bombers. If the Jays can take 3 of 4 in New York, that would put them 4.5 up on the Yankees with just 20 games remaining. If the Jays drop 3 of 4, they find themselves with a big obstacle to overcome down the final stretch: keeping up with the Yankees when they aren't playing eachother and then pretty much sweeping the Yankees in their final three game series. This is a must-win scenario for the Jays if they want to win the AL East.


     The stage is set for one exciting series with plenty on the line, especially when one team hasn't played post-season baseball in over twenty years. This Yankees/Jays series is without a doubt the most important series for the Blue Birds since they took on the Phillies in the 1993 World Series. Make sure you're watching, as this Blue Jays' squad looks to make history.

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