‘Feels Like Forever Since We’ve Been Home’

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Many of their eyelids fluttered open by 6 a.m. Friday. It was not as a result of the Toronto Blue Jays had been desperate to see the celebrity Shohei Ohtani later that night within the Los Angeles Angels’ house opener.

Rather, the bleary-eyed Blue Jays had been adjusting to their third time zone in somewhat greater than per week. The recent vitality of a brand new yr? Six weeks of spring coaching in Dunedin, Fla., adopted by a three-city, 10-game journey that matched the longest in franchise historical past to start a season.

Briefly, the battle was with physique clocks, not pitch clocks.

“Talking to a lot of the guys, everybody woke up pretty early,” the Toronto right-handed starter Kevin Gausman stated. “And then went back to sleep.”

The final time the schedule challenged the Blue Jays this early, it was 1984 and so they had been nonetheless enjoying in Exhibition Stadium. Now they’re in Rogers Centre, which opened as Skydome in 1989 and has been present process renovations. The further suitcases to begin the season had been courtesy of the franchise requesting a couple of further days on the highway to make sure that building was accomplished by the point house video games started.

Consequently, when the Blue Jays lastly have their house opener, Tuesday night time in opposition to Detroit, it is going to be the ultimate one performed within the majors this season.

“There’s a lot of teams that have played home games and road games already, and we’re still on the road,” Toronto outfielder George Springer stated. “So it’s definitely interesting.”

“St. Louis, Kansas City and Anaheim,” Gausman stated. “Kind of a weird group of cities.”

If there may be any crew that appears properly geared up to deal with this quirky begin, it’s Toronto. Not solely are the proficient Blue Jays coming off a 92-win season through which they captured one of many American League’s wild playing cards, however the lineup cornerstones Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette way back grew to become accustomed to life as baseball nomads.

After debuting in 2019, what ought to have been every participant’s first full-major league season was 2020, when baseball adjusted to the coronavirus pandemic by enjoying an abbreviated, 60-game schedule. Because of stringent Canadian governmental restrictions that primarily disallowed visiting groups to cross the border, the Blue Jays performed their house schedule in Buffalo.

“That year was obviously crazy. And then in 2021, we were in Dunedin and then Buffalo before we were able to go back to Toronto,” Bichette stated, referring to extra restrictions and extra video games at second houses. “And then last year was the lockout.”

He added: “So it’s been a few crazy years where we haven’t really had a real start to the season.”

At least this yr, Bichette stated, not solely did the season start on time, however even by way of the air miles and clock adjustments, the crew knew Tuesday dangled on the finish of the highway rainbow like a pot of gold.

“When you’re in the minor leagues in whatever organization, you dream of playing in that city and seeing how those fans appreciate you,” stated Bichette, 25. “And that was kind of put on hold for us for two years or so. Yeah, it was a little disappointing and tough to handle sometimes. But I think we did a great job, to be honest.”

He added: “We competed no matter what and we didn’t complain. And I think that’s going to help us in the long run.”

Indeed, the Blue Jays in these opening days of the season seem way more targeted on wiping out final October’s disappointing early playoff exit by the hands of Seattle than on, say, dwindling provides of unpolluted socks and underwear as their laundry piles up. Among General Manager Ross Atkins’s low season transactions had been the acquisitions of outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (free company) and Daulton Varsho (commerce with Arizona) and designated hitter Brandon Belt (free company).

The Blue Jays’ hope is that these strikes, together with the addition of infielder Whit Merrifield finally yr’s buying and selling deadline by way of a cope with Kansas City, make them a extra well-rounded and multifaceted crew. So far, so good. Varsho homered, beat out a bunt single and threw a runner out on the plate in a single recreation in Kansas City final week. In one other, Kiermaier blazed into second with a two-out, hustle double and Bichette adopted with a run-scoring single. The Jays gained each video games.

With improved protection and baserunning, Atkins stated, “we don’t worry about scoring runs. I think we’ll be able to do that.” And the top outcome, he added, is that regardless of the division — scoring, baserunning, protection — “we should be able to hang with most teams in all those categories.”

Early returns are particularly good from Guerrero and third baseman Matt Chapman. They ranked first and second in hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 miles per hour or extra) in Major League Baseball by way of Sunday. Chapman, Guerrero and Bichette had been the highest three gamers within the majors in hits, and Chapman ranked first in batting common (.475).

The clubhouse enthusiasm surrounding Guerrero, although, isn’t merely due to how arduous he’s hitting the ball, but in addition how little he’s chasing pitches exterior the strike zone. Over his first 49 plate appearances, Guerrero, 24, had solely three strikeouts to 5 walks. So far this season, he has moved away his former free-swinging tendencies — and people of his Hall of Fame father, generally known as one of many best bad-ball hitters in historical past — and towards the model of himself that led the A.L. in on-base proportion in 2021.

Guerrero labored arduous on pitch choice all through the spring, his teammates stated, and his rising maturity is obvious.

“I’m trusting my teammates,” Guerrero stated through a translator. “I’m going to go up looking for my pitch, and if I don’t get it, I’m going to take a walk and trust my teammates to hit behind me.”

Toronto Manager John Schneider stated that Guerrero’s general strategy “is a lot different than in years’ past. He’s been around the game for awhile now. And you forget how young he is sometimes.”

Schneider, in his first full season as supervisor after changing Charlie Montoyo final July, is aware of. He is in his fifteenth season both teaching or managing in Toronto’s group, and he managed Guerrero, Bichette and Cavan Biggio at Class AA New Hampshire.

All of these experiences seemingly factored into his short-but-to-the-point tackle as camp ended and the gamers packed … and packed. He did it for one purpose.

“You recognize it,” he stated, smiling, of the tough early schedule. “And it squashes the bitching and moaning.”

He hasn’t talked about it once more. And the Jays gained 5 of their first eight video games. To shut the highway journey, they overcame a six-run deficit — constructed partly by an Ohtani house run — and finally beat the Angels, 12-11, within the tenth inning after Ohtani grounded out with the bases loaded. Chapman hit a grand slam to make it 6-4, and Kiermaier’s two-run triple tied the rating on the best way to each gamers ending with 5 R.B.I.

Eventually, as often occurs in baseball, issues will even out. No matter what number of early wake-up calls they endure now, the Jays, like everybody else, will nonetheless play 81 highway video games and 81 at house, which implies their schedule will finally flip advantageous.

“There’s only so many really, really big cities that love, love their sports, and Toronto is one of them,” Bichette stated, anticipating a cheerful homecoming. “So to go there and feel the energy, we should have a pretty good crowd there. They love their Blue Jays.”

The vitality of getting a complete nation rooting for them shouldn’t be misplaced on this crew.

“When you’re out there playing, you see signs people are holding, ‘I’m from here’ and ‘I’m from there’,” Springer stated. “There’s people from all over Canada that come to these games. It’s awesome. It’s fun. I mean, it’s an honor.”

Most of the Rogers Centre rework is for these prospects, with the brand new “Outfield District” specifically catering to the fan expertise. But the redesigned outfield fence creates new discipline dimensions, together with shorter measurements in left and proper discipline that Biggio and Guerrero specifically ought to take pleasure in. And, in a improvement that Kiermaier, a three-time Gold Glove winner, certainly will love, a middle discipline fence lowered to eight ft from 10.

The Jays have heard about it. Now they’re desperate to see it.

“Feels like forever since we’ve been home,” Springer stated.

Of course, a yr from now, they’re anticipating to pack their baggage for an prolonged time once more. Phase II of the Rogers Centre renovation, this one set to incorporate the house and visiting clubhouse overhauls, is scheduled for this winter.