It was the first time since 2019 that the Blue Jays had their home opener…at home. Ultimately they went 92-70 in their first full season in Toronto in three years. Like the Phillies, they fired their manager mid season and made they playoffs. Unlike the Phillies, they did not have a losing record at the time. The Yankees started red hot and ended up with 99 wins to take the AL East. The owners apparently thought they should be in first and put the blame on Charlie Montoyo; he was fired even though the team was 46-42 and in one of the wild card positions. They did play somewhat better in the second half, and garnered a…wild card slot. In the wild card round, they bowed out against the Mariners.
Overall this was a team that relied heavily on offense. They were 4th in MLB in runs scored, tops in batting average, 3rd in OPS as a team. Pitching? 15th in team ERA, 19th in on base average allowed. Injuries to the pitching staff, especially Hyundai-Jin Ryu, definitely did not help.
This offseason, the Jays hope they have begun to address pitching by trading Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and a lefty pitching prospect. Ross Stripling helped alleviate the the absence of Ryu with a career year…but he is now a free agent. Even if Ryu comes back full strength, the Jays have work to do still if they do not want pitching to remain an Achilles Heel.
Fan Interference 