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	<title>Toronto &#187; Roy Halladay</title>
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		<title>The Most Heavily Used Blue Jay Pitchers in the PITCHf/x Era</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/11/20/the-busiest-blue-jay-pitchers-in-the-pitchfx-era/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Nov 2017 11:43:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Sonne]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AJ Burnett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fatigue Units]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Halladay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Workload]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Workload isn&#8217;t as easily defined as the number of games, innings, or pitches a pitcher throws. It is an interaction of all of these things &#8211; and to summarize them all, I came up with the metric &#8220;Fatigue Units&#8221;. Well, I came up with the Metric&#8230; Jenn Smith came up with the name. In the [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Workload isn&#8217;t as easily defined as the number of games, innings, or pitches a pitcher throws. It is an interaction of all of these things &#8211; and to summarize them all, I came up with the metric &#8220;Fatigue Units&#8221;. Well, I came up with the Metric&#8230; <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/author/baseballjenn/">Jenn Smith</a> came up with the name. In the PitchFX era, we can calculate Fatigue Units by querying databases and factoring in velocity, days of rest, pitch counts, and pace between pitches. Historically, who had the highest fatigue unit workloads for the Toronto Blue Jays?</p>
<h2>Single Season Workloads</h2>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Rank</th>
<th>Fatigue Units</th>
<th>Season</th>
<th>Pitcher</th>
<th>Inning Apperances</th>
<th>Pitches</th>
<th>4 + Days Rest</th>
<th>1 &#8211; 3 Days Rest</th>
<th>0 Days Rest</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>28.75</td>
<td>2008</td>
<td>A.J. Burnett</td>
<td>230</td>
<td>3540</td>
<td>31</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>27.01</td>
<td>2008</td>
<td>Roy Halladay</td>
<td>250</td>
<td>3413</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>25.7</td>
<td>2011</td>
<td>Ricky Romero</td>
<td>233</td>
<td>3345</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>25.25</td>
<td>2016</td>
<td>Roberto Osuna</td>
<td>92</td>
<td>1255</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>25.09</td>
<td>2009</td>
<td>Roy Halladay</td>
<td>239</td>
<td>3386</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>24.42</td>
<td>2016</td>
<td>Marcus Stroman</td>
<td>224</td>
<td>3277</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>23.85</td>
<td>2010</td>
<td>Ricky Romero</td>
<td>215</td>
<td>3209</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>23.31</td>
<td>2016</td>
<td>Aaron Sanchez</td>
<td>207</td>
<td>3106</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
<td>22.63</td>
<td>2015</td>
<td>Roberto Osuna</td>
<td>94</td>
<td>1198</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>51</td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>22.47</td>
<td>2012</td>
<td>Henderson Alvarez</td>
<td>195</td>
<td>2857</td>
<td>31</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
<td>22.45</td>
<td>2012</td>
<td>Ricky Romero</td>
<td>193</td>
<td>3060</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
<td>22.4</td>
<td>2011</td>
<td>Brandon Morrow</td>
<td>188</td>
<td>3108</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>22.39</td>
<td>2016</td>
<td>J.A. Happ</td>
<td>218</td>
<td>3210</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
<td>22.3</td>
<td>2013</td>
<td>Esmil Rogers</td>
<td>151</td>
<td>2258</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
<td>22.01</td>
<td>2009</td>
<td>Brandon League</td>
<td>88</td>
<td>1109</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>45</td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>21.89</td>
<td>2015</td>
<td>Liam Hendriks</td>
<td>89</td>
<td>1101</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>39</td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>21.53</td>
<td>2009</td>
<td>Jesse Carlson</td>
<td>91</td>
<td>1133</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>45</td>
<td>18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
<td>21.53</td>
<td>2013</td>
<td>Mark Buehrle</td>
<td>212</td>
<td>3299</td>
<td>33</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
<td>21.51</td>
<td>2014</td>
<td>Aaron Loup</td>
<td>96</td>
<td>1084</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>50</td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>21.47</td>
<td>2009</td>
<td>Ricky Romero</td>
<td>185</td>
<td>2979</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>21</td>
<td>21.42</td>
<td>2013</td>
<td>R.A. Dickey</td>
<td>231</td>
<td>3503</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>22</td>
<td>21.14</td>
<td>2015</td>
<td>R.A. Dickey</td>
<td>227</td>
<td>3387</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>23</td>
<td>21.13</td>
<td>2014</td>
<td>Drew Hutchison</td>
<td>193</td>
<td>3051</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>24</td>
<td>21.01</td>
<td>2013</td>
<td>Aaron Loup</td>
<td>93</td>
<td>1037</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>49</td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25</td>
<td>20.96</td>
<td>2014</td>
<td>R.A. Dickey</td>
<td>229</td>
<td>3508</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>26</td>
<td>20.79</td>
<td>2010</td>
<td>Kevin Gregg</td>
<td>67</td>
<td>1079</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>27</td>
<td>20.6</td>
<td>2014</td>
<td>Mark Buehrle</td>
<td>212</td>
<td>3082</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>28</td>
<td>20.56</td>
<td>2015</td>
<td>Marco Estrada</td>
<td>211</td>
<td>3200</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>29</td>
<td>20.25</td>
<td>2016</td>
<td>Joe Biagini</td>
<td>94</td>
<td>1211</td>
<td>13</td>
<td>42</td>
<td>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>30</td>
<td>20.14</td>
<td>2009</td>
<td>Brian Tallet</td>
<td>171</td>
<td>2661</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>It should surprise no one to see Roy Halladay&#8217;s name appear twice in the top 5 on this list &#8211; even though he was only with the Jays for two years during this time period. He was <em>the</em> go-to guy. What is slightly surprising is not seeing him in the #1 Spot.</p>
<h3>#1 &#8211; 2008 &#8211; AJ Burnett, #2 &#8211; 2008 &#8211; Roy Halladay</h3>
<p>AJ Burnett and Roy Halladay had absolutely amazing 2008&#8217;s, with both pitchers in hot pursuit of 20 wins all season long. How didn&#8217;t this team do better?! Oh right&#8230;one 20 home run hitter. Joe Inglett playing in over 100 games&#8230; I&#8217;ll just leave it there. AJ appeared in 230 innings, completing 221.1 innings, and throwing a whopping 3540 pitches in 35 games (34 starts). While Doc appeared in one fewer game, he appeared in 20 more innings than Burnett that season. The difference in workload stems mostly from how AJ got hitters out &#8211; striking out 231 hitters, and walking 81 batters. Halladay only struck out 206 while walking 39. Take a look at those numbers again; those are insane.</p>
<h3>#3 &#8211; 2011 &#8211; Ricky Romero</h3>
<p>*** Cut to Mike clutching his Ricky Romero jersey in his basement while a single tear rolls down his cheek ***</p>
<p>Oh, what might have been for Ricky Romero. His knees betrayed him and his career plummeted shortly after. But in 2011, he was a workhorse &#8211; and the Jays rotation looked primed for the future. Romero appeared in 233 innings, completing a total of 225 that season, while throwing 3345 pitches.</p>
<h3>#4 &#8211; 2016 &#8211; Roberto Osuna</h3>
<p>This is where things start to get interesting on the workload list. Osuna didn&#8217;t appear in as many innings as the guys up above, but it was the fact he appeared on back to back days 25 times that really drove his workload up. 25 times&#8230;the next closest for the Blue Jays in this time period is 19. The trips to the post season contributed to this number, undoubtedly, but Osuna&#8217;s isolation in a bullpen that struggled to get hitters out has left him on an island in Blue Jay land. The Jays do need to get a few more reliable arms to reduce Roberto&#8217;s huge workloads, year after year.</p>
<h3>#8 &#8211; 2016 &#8211; Aaron Sanchez</h3>
<p>This was the year where Sanchez was the pinnacle of controversy in the Toronto market &#8211; should he move to the bullpen? Should he be shut down for the season? In the end, neither of these actions happened and Sanchez pitched his way to an ERA title and the playoffs. Now, 2017 was a different story&#8230; Sanchez missed the vast majority of the year with various finger and blister issues. Keep in mind, high FUs are tied to an increase in Tommy John Surgery in subsequent seasons &#8211; not blisters. Hopefully 2017 was a blip on the radar of a successful career.</p>
<h2>Pitch Tracking Era Workload Leaders</h2>
<table class="tableizer-table">
<thead>
<tr class="tableizer-firstrow">
<th>Rank</th>
<th>FUs</th>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Starts</th>
<th>Inning Appearances</th>
<th>Pitches</th>
<th>4 + Days Rest</th>
<th>1 &#8211; 3 Days Rest</th>
<th>0 Days Rest</th>
<th>Seasons</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>1</td>
<td>115.95</td>
<td>Brett Cecil</td>
<td>74</td>
<td>770</td>
<td>10521</td>
<td>106</td>
<td>184</td>
<td>48</td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>94.61</td>
<td>Ricky Romero</td>
<td>127</td>
<td>834</td>
<td>12755</td>
<td>129</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>88.34</td>
<td>Aaron Loup</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>423</td>
<td>4570</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>217</td>
<td>62</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>80.97</td>
<td>R.A. Dickey</td>
<td>132</td>
<td>868</td>
<td>13126</td>
<td>131</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5</td>
<td>78.6</td>
<td>Casey Janssen</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>377</td>
<td>5253</td>
<td>56</td>
<td>195</td>
<td>49</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>72.52</td>
<td>J.A. Happ</td>
<td>109</td>
<td>682</td>
<td>10718</td>
<td>113</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7</td>
<td>68.91</td>
<td>Jason Frasor</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>327</td>
<td>4457</td>
<td>42</td>
<td>188</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>66.37</td>
<td>Brandon Morrow</td>
<td>93</td>
<td>563</td>
<td>9114</td>
<td>95</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9</td>
<td>64.6</td>
<td>Shawn Camp</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>328</td>
<td>3788</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>155</td>
<td>38</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>64.38</td>
<td>Marcus Stroman</td>
<td>94</td>
<td>617</td>
<td>9156</td>
<td>96</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11</td>
<td>62.01</td>
<td>Mark Buehrle</td>
<td>97</td>
<td>628</td>
<td>9209</td>
<td>96</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12</td>
<td>61.23</td>
<td>Roberto Osuna</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>256</td>
<td>3412</td>
<td>28</td>
<td>137</td>
<td>55</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>58.16</td>
<td>Marco Estrada</td>
<td>96</td>
<td>607</td>
<td>9571</td>
<td>99</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>14</td>
<td>55.45</td>
<td>Aaron Sanchez</td>
<td>51</td>
<td>397</td>
<td>5735</td>
<td>59</td>
<td>41</td>
<td>14</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>15</td>
<td>52.09</td>
<td>Roy Halladay</td>
<td>65</td>
<td>489</td>
<td>6799</td>
<td>64</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>49.01</td>
<td>Scott Downs</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>218</td>
<td>2650</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>106</td>
<td>48</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>49.01</td>
<td>Brian Tallet</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>334</td>
<td>4911</td>
<td>52</td>
<td>60</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18</td>
<td>48.48</td>
<td>Drew Hutchison</td>
<td>73</td>
<td>430</td>
<td>6747</td>
<td>75</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19</td>
<td>45.74</td>
<td>Jesse Carlson</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>204</td>
<td>2151</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>98</td>
<td>43</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>42.96</td>
<td>Steve Delabar</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>181</td>
<td>2592</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>105</td>
<td>18</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>21</td>
<td>40.3</td>
<td>Dustin McGowan</td>
<td>31</td>
<td>272</td>
<td>3639</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>44</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>22</td>
<td>37.36</td>
<td>Jesse Litsch</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>326</td>
<td>4626</td>
<td>50</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>23</td>
<td>35.62</td>
<td>Joe Biagini</td>
<td>18</td>
<td>226</td>
<td>3144</td>
<td>33</td>
<td>62</td>
<td>15</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>24</td>
<td>33.79</td>
<td>Shaun Marcum</td>
<td>56</td>
<td>357</td>
<td>5247</td>
<td>55</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>25</td>
<td>31.92</td>
<td>Todd Redmond</td>
<td>15</td>
<td>188</td>
<td>2772</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>26</td>
<td>31.8</td>
<td>Brandon League</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>130</td>
<td>1588</td>
<td>13</td>
<td>66</td>
<td>19</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>27</td>
<td>31.3</td>
<td>Ryan Tepera</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>167</td>
<td>2067</td>
<td>24</td>
<td>76</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>28</td>
<td>29.97</td>
<td>Henderson Alvarez</td>
<td>41</td>
<td>260</td>
<td>3833</td>
<td>41</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>29</td>
<td>29.87</td>
<td>Carlos Villanueva</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>246</td>
<td>3741</td>
<td>42</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>30</td>
<td>29.24</td>
<td>Luis Perez</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>146</td>
<td>1842</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>48</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3> #1 &#8211; Brett Cecil</h3>
<p>The results often fluctuated between great and&#8230; not so great, but it&#8217;s tough to deny that Brett Cecil was a big part of the Blue Jays pitching staff during his eight years here. Cecil had 74 starts during this time with the Blue Jays and appeared in 770 innings. When he left the rotation for good, he seemed to find more success &#8211; including his long scoreless streak during the magical 2015 run.</p>
<h3>#3 &#8211; Aaron Loup</h3>
<p>Much like Squints, Loup has had his ups and down with the Blue Jays &#8211; but he has always been just on the cusp of being an excellent reliever. During his six seasons with the Blue Jays, no other pitcher has appeared on back to back days more than Loup &#8211; averaging just over 10 per year.</p>
<h3>#5 &#8211; Casey Janssen</h3>
<p>Janssen was the only consistently effective reliever in the Toronto &#8216;pen before Roberto Osuna came along and made that role cool. Janssen managed to close 90 games for the Jays &#8211; even while missing the entire 2008 season with a torn labrum. Thats not an injury that is easy for a pitcher to return from &#8211; so the fact he was able to put up these high workloads, be effective, and consistently answer the manager&#8217;s call is a true testament to Janssen&#8217;s toughness.</p>
<h3>#10 &#8211; Marcus Stroman</h3>
<p>A Blue Jays list just isn&#8217;t complete unless you talk about the Stro Show. Marcus is 10th in workload in the era starting in 2008 &#8211; also known as &#8220;when Stroman was a high school student who didn&#8217;t even have a clothing brand.&#8221; These numbers are slightly misleading too &#8211; sure, he appeared in 4 seasons, but one was the injury shortened ACL year. In those 4 seasons, Stro has played an important role in the Jays post season runs and done this without an injury that would raise any concerns about his durability (the ACL is a fluke). Stroman is a workhorse now and for the Blue Jays future.</p>
<p>Height doesn&#8217;t measure heart, but Fatigue Units do measure Workload!</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Artificial Turf Wars Ep. 80: You&#8217;ll be Missed, Doc</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/11/09/artificial-turf-wars-ep-80-youll-be-missed-doc/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/11/09/artificial-turf-wars-ep-80-youll-be-missed-doc/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2017 10:44:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Artifical Turf Wars]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Halladay]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=14135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A tribute episode to Roy Halladay, following his tragic death. Scott Crawford, Director of Operations for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame stops by to discuss his memories from Doc&#8217;s recent induction weekend and his impact on baseball in Canada. Greg and Josh then share their own memories of the great Blue Jays ace and [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A tribute episode to Roy Halladay, following his tragic death. Scott Crawford, Director of Operations for the <a href="http://baseballhalloffame.ca/" target="_blank">Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame</a> stops by to discuss his memories from Doc&#8217;s recent induction weekend and his impact on baseball in Canada. Greg and Josh then share their own memories of the great Blue Jays ace and his impact on their lives. Finally, they get read some Halladay stories from their listeners and talk about their view of Roy Halladay&#8217;s five best starts of his career.</p>
<p><strong>Podcast</strong>: <a class="powerpress_link_pinw" title="Play in New Window" href="http://d1at8ppinvdju8.cloudfront.net/1/039/show_10392129_2017_11_09_04_44_40.mp3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Play in new window</a> | <a class="powerpress_link_d" title="Download" href="http://d1at8ppinvdju8.cloudfront.net/1/039/show_10392129_2017_11_09_04_44_40.mp3" rel="nofollow">Download</a></p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/blue-jays-plus-podcast/id705699884?mt=2"><img class="alignnone wp-image-63" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/itunes1.png" alt="itunes" width="168" height="62" /></a><a href="https://soundcloud.com/turfpod"><img class=" wp-image-9054 alignleft" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/02/soundcloud.jpg" alt="soundcloud" width="123" height="60" /></a></p>
<p>Follow the guys on twitter: <a title="@coolhead2010" href="https://twitter.com/coolhead2010" target="_blank">@coolhead2010</a> and <a title="@JoshuaHowsam" href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaHowsam" target="_blank">@JoshuaHowsam</a>.</p>
<p>Intro music is Slow Burn (<a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/" rel="cc:attributionURL">Kevin MacLeod</a>) under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="license">CC BY 3.0</a>.</p>
<div><strong>Podcast Email</strong>-<a href="mailto:artificialturfwars@baseballprospectus.com" target="_blank">artificialturfwars@baseballprospectus.com</a> Please drop us a line if there is a guest you&#8217;d particularly like us to interview, to submit a question to <strong>Stump the Josh</strong>, or to simply give us feedback on the podcast. We&#8217;d love to hear from you!</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Goodbye, Roy Halladay: Baseball Legend.</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/11/08/goodbye-roy-halladay-baseball-legend/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/11/08/goodbye-roy-halladay-baseball-legend/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:57:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Joshua Howsam]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Roy Halladay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=14101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday afternoon, baseball lost a giant, as Roy Halladay passed away following a tragic plane accident. The entire Baseball Prospectus Toronto team is passing on heartfelt condolences to Roy’s family. Unlike many modern-day fans, Roy Halladay was not a part of my childhood introduction to Blue Jays baseball. I was around for the two [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>On Tuesday afternoon, baseball lost a giant, as Roy Halladay passed away following a tragic plane accident. The entire Baseball Prospectus Toronto team is passing on heartfelt condolences to Roy’s family.</em></p>
<p>Unlike many modern-day fans, Roy Halladay was not a part of my childhood introduction to Blue Jays baseball. I was around for the two World Series wins. I saw multiple future Hall of Famers pass through the city and plenty of big name pitchers make their way onto the Skydome mound. So by the time Mr. Halladay arrived, coming at the end of the second straight pitching Triple Crown season from Roger Clemens, I was a precocious 14 year old who was tough to impress.</p>
<p>As the surprisingly decent 1998 season wound to a close, my parents decided to take me to the final home game of the year. I had heard of that day’s starter, a 6’6” Denver native, because he carried with him the pedigree of a first round pick and the small amounts of hype that came with it, but I really didn’t know much beyond that. And so as I settled into my seat to watch the Blue Jays play out the string against a terrible Tigers team, I had no idea I was going to see something magical.</p>
<p>For eight innings, Roy Halladay carved up Detroit in a way I had never seen. He was basically only throwing two pitches, a fourseam fastball and a curveball, but the quality and locations of those two offerings were so great that the Tigers could still do nothing with them. As the game entered the top of the 9<sup>th</sup>, the Tigers had no hits and no walks, and were it not for a fourth inning error by Felipe Crespo, they would have had no baserunners.</p>
<p>Halladay didn’t complete the no-hitter (thanks to a two out home run from Bobby “F#*&amp;@” Higginson), but I, like so many others, was completely blown away. So when he followed that up with a strong sophomore campaign, I was convinced: Halladay was going to be the next great pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.</p>
<p>Then a funny thing happened. Halladay was terrible. In 2000, he set (and still holds) the MLB record for the worst ERA (10.64) of any pitcher to reach 50 innings pitched in a season. During the season he was sent to triple-A, where he struggled again. So to start the 2001 year, the &#8220;next big thing&#8221; was sent all the way back to Dunedin (high-A) and it seemed like the dream was over.</p>
<p>And it was. Because Roy Halladay came back stronger than ever to show us that we weren’t dreaming big <i>enough</i>. For the next nine years, the man we would come to know as Doc taught Blue Jays fans what greatness truly was.</p>
<p>The numbers over that stretch speak for themselves: a 145 ERA+, four top five Cy Young finishes (including a win in 2003), six seasons of 220+ IP, 47 complete games. I could go on forever if I wanted to. The man was untouchable.</p>
<p>However, Roy Halladay was more than just numbers. He was a star. When it came to big moments, nobody could top the Doc. Just ask any fan who was there for either of his 10-inning complete games or the outing when he took a no-hitter into the seventh while he out-dueled a returning A.J. Burnett in a supercharged atmosphere. He just knew how to rise to the occasion. He was the ultimate gamer.</p>
<p>That’s not all though, he was also <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielNorris18/status/928022821686661120" target="_blank">a mentor to young pitchers</a>, a big part of the local community, a <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/JaysCare/status/928031144217427968" target="_blank">philanthropist</a>, and a beacon of light during some very dark times for the franchise. But most of all, he was <i>ours</i>.</p>
<p>Toronto sports fans have something of an inferiority complex. We have seen many players over the years head for greener pastures down south as soon as the opportunity presented itself, so we tend to fear the worst. As a result, when a player shows a true attachment to the city, we have always rallied around them. So when <i>Roy Halladay</i>, the very best pitcher in baseball, signed a below market, three year contract extension in March of 2006 to stay in Toronto; when he showed that he actually <em><i>wanted</i></em> to be here and win here, he graduated from superstar to hero. That may sound silly, but it&#8217;s hard to overstate the impact of a star player actually sticking it out with a losing team. Roy Halladay wanted to bring a title to Toronto and that meant everything to us.</p>
<p>For their part, the Blue Jays front office did everything they could do to help. They brought in Troy Glaus, Frank Thomas, Scott Rolen, B.J. Ryan, the aformentioned Burnett, Ted Lilly, Bengie Molina…but no matter what they tried, the team just couldn’t clear that hump and make it to the postseason. So when it became clear that the club was not going to win during Halladay’s contract, Alex Anthopoulos (in his first transaction as general manager) traded the face of the franchise to the Philadelphia Phillies. After the trade, in a final move as the ultimate class act that he was, Halladay took out <a href="http://m.mlb.com/news/article/7841946/" target="_blank">a full page ad in the newspaper thanking the Blue Jays fans</a> for all of their support over the years. He didn’t have to do that, but that’s just who he was.</p>
<p>Things then went great for Halladay in his first foray into the National League. He threw a perfect game against the Marlins, posted a career-best 7.3 K/BB rate, and went on to capture his second Cy Young Award. Then, in a moment of true perfection, upon finally making it beyond game 162, Roy Halladay threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in his first postseason start. It was magical.</p>
<p>And it was all wrong.</p>
<p>While I was happy <em><i>for Halladay</i></em>, I wasn’t happy overall. These moments were supposed to happen in Toronto, not Philadelphia. He was supposed to lead <i>us</i> to the promised land, not the Phillies. He was ours and then all of a sudden, he wasn&#8217;t. He was everybody’s and I didn’t like it.</p>
<p>I’d never felt that way about a former player before (or since). Not Jimmy Key, Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado, Devon White, etc. I even rooted for Roberto Alomar to win with the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. But not Doc. He was supposed to be the exception. He was only supposed to win here. He meant <em>that</em> much to us.</p>
<p>This confused reaction to Halladay’s Philadelphia success actually continued for me throughout his National League run, right up until the unfortunate, early end to his career. Even though I liked seeing him do well, I couldn’t properly enjoy it. However, as I have come to realize ever since his retirement (as a Blue Jay), I was just being<i> </i>selfish.</p>
<p>Roy Halladay was never meant to be enjoyed by just one city or one country. He was frankly too big, too good to keep in one place. Roy Halladay was baseball royalty. He belonged on the October stage. It didn’t matter who got him there as long as he made it and got to show the whole planet what he could do. He needed to reach as many people as possible, because he was just that special.</p>
<p>One need look no further than the tremendous outpouring of love and memories since Tuesday afternoon from all corners of the baseball world to see how he much he affected people’s lives.</p>
<p>He was a legend.</p>
<p>We love you, Roy. You reached out and touched us all and you will never be forgotten.</p>
<p>Thank you for everything.</p>
<p>R.I.P. Roy Halladay</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: © Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Remembering A Meaningless Game In September</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/09/07/remembering-a-meaningless-game-in-september/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/09/07/remembering-a-meaningless-game-in-september/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2017 10:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rachael McDaniel]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Halladay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=13304</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On September 25th, 2009, the Blue Jays took the field to face the Seattle Mariners. It wasn’t their last home game of the season, or their last game of the season overall. Neither was it a game that had much in the way playoff implications. The Blue Jays, at the start of play, were a [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400">On September 25th, 2009, the Blue Jays took the field to face the Seattle Mariners. It wasn’t their last home game of the season, or their last game of the season overall. Neither was it a game that had much in the way playoff implications. The Blue Jays, at the start of play, were a not-so-nice 69-84; the Mariners, though well above .500 at 80-73, were three and a half games out of the wild card with two teams ahead of them and only a week left to go. It was, for all intents and purposes, just another meaningless game in late September.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The previous night’s game, a 5-4 loss to that season’s Cy Young runner-up Felix Hernandez, had drawn a sparse crowd of 15,306. On this Friday night, though, 20,668 were in attendance as the Jays took the field to start the bottom of the 1st. Maybe it was because it was because of Flashback Friday, a chance to see the Jays playing in their classic powder blues instead of the usual </span><a href="http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/jose-bautista-of-the-toronto-blue-jays-poses-during-photo-day-on-23-picture-id85405290" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400">abominations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">; maybe it was the beautiful night, the roof opened to a cool sky dappled with high clouds. But I would hazard a guess that the main draw was something else.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><strong><strong><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-04-at-20.16.27.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-13305 alignnone" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-04-at-20.16.27-300x161.png" alt="Screenshot 2017-09-04 at 20.16.27" width="640" height="361" /></a></strong></strong></p>
<p>Leading off for the Mariners was their franchise player, Ichiro Suzuki, an incredibly skilled hitter having one of his best years at the plate &#8211;  he finished that season with a .352/.386/.465 batting line and a minuscule 10-percent strikeout rate. Ichiro dug his spikes into the batter’s box and lifted his bat high behind his head: poised, ready to jump on anything. He was locked in that week, batting .396 with two homers.</p>
<p>Halladay started him off with a fastball down the middle at 90 miles per hour for strike one, followed by a cutter that Ichiro desperately fouled off for strike two. And then, to finish the job:</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/SaltyOblongCopepod" width="640" height="361" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" ></iframe></p>
<p>The sequence took all of 40 seconds.</p>
<p style="text-align: center">***</p>
<p>At the start of 2009, the Jays had put together three consecutive winning seasons. Though they never finished better than second in the division, and wouldn’t have made the playoffs even under the current Wild Card rules, they were playing respectable, largely enjoyable baseball. In 2008, they won 86 games, and their rotation, led by Halladay, was the best in the American League. But over the offseason, they lost A.J. Burnett to free agency, and Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan to injury. There were questions, uncertainties.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">It started off well enough. The Jays raced out to the division lead, </span><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2009/04/20/victorystarved_city_abuzz_over_jays.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400">sparking vaguely renewed interest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> in a team that had been nowhere near a playoff berth for over a decade. They managed to hold on to that lead until the middle of May, just long enough for optimism to really sink its fingers in.</span></p>
<p>Then they lost nine games in a row. And just like that, the Jays were once again an irrelevant team, languishing in anonymity north of the border, going nowhere.</p>
<p style="text-align: center">***</p>
<p>The Jays didn’t manage a hit off off Mariners starter Doug Fister until the bottom of the fifth inning: a ground ball into right field off of the bat of their third baseman, a poor defender and league-average hitter who had been acquired in a midseason trade with the Cincinnati Reds.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><strong><strong><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-06-at-01.05.42.png"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-13306 alignnone" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-06-at-01.05.42-300x169.png" alt="Screenshot 2017-09-06 at 01.05.42" width="640" height="361" /></a></strong></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Jays would strand him at third.</span></p>
<p>Halladay, after allowing a single hit in each of the first four innings, had settled into a groove. He sent down eight consecutive batters. Mariners left fielder Michael Saunders, noted by Jamie Campbell in the pre-game broadcast for his Canadian roots, was caught looking &#8211;</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/EqualInsecureKid" width="640" height="361" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" ></iframe></p>
<p>&#8211; while Ken Griffey Jr., batting only .215, a shell of his former self and only 40 games away from announcing his retirement, went down swinging.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/AnotherMarvelousAdouri" width="640" height="361" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" ></iframe></p>
<p>And after every scoreless inning, every out recorded with precise, measured efficiency, Halladay walked off the mound to the dugout in that familiar way: slowly, eyes lowered, head down, alone in his own quiet world.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><strong><strong><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-06-at-01.25.32.png"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-13307 alignnone" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-06-at-01.25.32-300x161.png" alt="Screenshot 2017-09-06 at 01.25.32" width="640" height="361" /></a></strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-weight: 400">***</span></p>
<p>Roy Halladay was the best choice the Blue Jays ever made. They drafted him, they developed him, and for almost a decade he was the best thing about that team. Over those years, the Jays never got anywhere close to the postseason, the Dome was sparsely attended, and the overarching narratives of baseball had bigger fish to fry than the stagnation of the Blue Jays. The Yankees and Red Sox struggled for dominance, ALCS history was made and historic droughts were erased, and the Jays passed every year hovering around .500 &#8211; not good enough or bad enough to be noticed, not good enough or bad enough to mean something.</p>
<p>But every fifth day, when Doc took the ball, it meant something. When Roy Halladay started, you were witnessing the pitch-by-pitch, inning-by-inning unfolding of a career destined for the Hall of Fame. Every fifth day, you were seeing singular, generational greatness. And though you wished that he would receive more recognition, that he could get the kind of coverage even a lesser Yankees pitcher would have gotten, you also felt special. Like you and every other Blue Jays fan was privy to a huge, wonderful secret. Because every fifth day, though they were mediocre, though they were disappointing, though they were little cared-for, Roy Halladay pitched for your Toronto Blue Jays.</p>
<p>That mattered.</p>
<p style="text-align: center">***</p>
<p>In the bottom of the sixth, the deadlock was finally broken. Jose Bautista, sporting number 23 on his back, and in his first full season with the Jays, singled to right; Aaron Hill crushed Fister’s 2-1 pitch deep to left, and it was 2-0 Jays. They went on to score two more runs in the seventh (Bautista drove in two with another single), and one more in the eighth (an Encarnacion walk came around to score), giving them a comfortable lead.</p>
<p>Halladay, meanwhile, allowed a single hit through the seventh and eighth &#8211; a Kenji Johjima double. Johjima never got beyond second.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-weight: 400">***</span></p>
<p>September baseball doesn’t trigger the stomach-churning, bullet-sweating panic that comes of watching your team in a do-or-die postseason game. In the postseason, the fear is acute, played out over only a single game, or in series of 5 or 7. The band-aid of postseason loss is, at least, ripped off quickly. September, though, is emotionally taxing. The creeping tension of September is drawn out over a month, building heavier and heavier with every passing day, and no team is fully exempt from the weight of it.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">If your team is considered a sure thing for the the postseason, it’s an uneasy counting-down of days, the long uphill on the rollercoaster before the first big drop &#8211; and if your team starts to perform poorly, the waiting game becomes all the more fraught, as fans begin to worry about the team running out of gas. (</span><a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-padres-20170903-story.html#nt=oft01a-1la1" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400">Just ask Dodgers fans right now</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.) If your team is fighting for a spot in the postseason, September is crunch time, and the month is consumed by frantic activity: watching games on your phone at work, obsessive scoreboard-watching, magic-number calculating, bitterly cursing every run allowed, praying that no one gets injured. If your team is out of it, September draws out your disappointment, opening the door to the darkness of the offseason and the uncertainty it brings.</span></p>
<p>Over the past three seasons, the Jays have run the gamut of September baseball experiences. In 2015, they had a 75-57 record on September 1st and went a comfortable 18-12 the rest of the month, clinching a playoff spot with a week to spare and the division four days later. Last season they began the month at 76-57 &#8211; essentially the same position they’d been in the previous season &#8211; and promptly collapsed, not clinching a playoff spot until the final day of the season (and partially thanks to losses by the Mariners and Tigers).</p>
<p>This season, the Jays find themselves not only out of it, but having to reckon with the fact that they may never really have been in it at all. They began this month 62-73, in last place in the division, having never been over .500 at any point. The season is a wash; their wins and losses only have playoff implications for the teams that they are facing, not for them. Games like Tuesday night’s 19-inning losing slog are breeding grounds for cynicism. Even wins can feel pointless. Why run out the clock on a lost season? Why keep going if none of it matters, if it doesn’t mean anything?</p>
<p>Do you really have a choice?</p>
<p style="text-align: center">***</p>
<p>It was time for the top of the ninth. Out of the dugout came Halladay, making a bid for his league-leading eighth complete game and third shutout of the season. Coming up to bat was the middle of the Mariners order: Lopez, Griffey, Beltre.</p>
<p>As Lopez knocked Halladay’s first pitch foul, the crowd roared, booed the batter’s nerve at trying to ruin this moment, still fighting the inevitable. There were 20,668 of them, and they could all see the writing on the wall: Roy Halladay was an ace on a team that didn’t matter. It was September, and the Jays weren’t relevant. They became louder, more joyful and desperate, with each passing moment.</p>
<p>Lopez shot Halladay’s 1-2 pitch into center for a leadoff single. The crowd groaned.</p>
<p>Up came Griffey, 0 for 3 on the day. He popped out to Lyle Overbay for the first out. And after Aaron Hill snagged a sharp liner off Beltre’s bat for the second out, everyone rose to their feet. This was it.</p>
<p>The first pitch to Johjima came in outside for ball one. Boos rained down on the umpire. The next pitch came, and then &#8211;</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><iframe src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/VariableQuarterlyBantamrooster" width="640" height="361" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" ></iframe></p>
<p>&#8211; just like that, the game was over. The Jays won. It had taken only two hours and eleven minutes.</p>
<p>The horn of victory blared; the crowd whistled, clapped, and cheered their approval. Black-jacketed Jays players poured out of the dugout in celebration, as if something more important had been achieved than their 70th victory out of 154 chances.</p>
<p>In one week, the season would end with the Jays in fourth place. In one week, J.P. Ricciardi would be fired, giving way to Alex Anthopoulos. Two months later, in the dead of the winter, when there was no baseball being played by anyone, Roy Halladay would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. And a few months after that, another season of Blue Jays baseball would start: another season in which they failed to make the playoffs. That chance would come another five years down the line, brought about in large part by two of the players who had made this day’s victory possible. But no one knew about any of that yet. It was just September 25th, 2009, and Roy Halladay had just won another game.</p>
<p>Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jay, turned away from home plate and walked off the mound. He was smiling.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Brett Cecil is Enjoying Playing Meaningful September Baseball</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/09/20/brett-cecil-is-enjoying-playing-meaningful-september-baseball/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/09/20/brett-cecil-is-enjoying-playing-meaningful-september-baseball/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2016 11:40:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Evan Peaslee]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALDS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brett Cecil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pat Hentgen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roy Halladay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=6756</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TORONTO – It took 22 seasons for the Blue Jays to make the playoffs after winning it all in 1993. For every player that played in the interim, meaningful baseball in September was merely a myth. For a fan base, that’s an eternity. For players, that’s the length of a career, and then some. None [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>TORONTO – It took 22 seasons for the Blue Jays to make the playoffs after winning it all in 1993. For every player that played in the interim, meaningful baseball in September was merely a myth.</p>
<p>For a fan base, that’s an eternity. For players, that’s the length of a career, and then some. None know this better than some of the long-time Blue Jays in those dark ages. Roy Halladay, Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, and Casey Janssen were all drafted by the Jays, had varying levels of success in a Toronto uniform, endured the hardships, but never got to experience meaningful games down the stretch, despite their patience and faith.</p>
<p>For Brett Cecil, his patience is starting to pay off. A 2007 first round pick of the Jays, it took seven seasons and 276 Major League appearances before getting to experience it. With the club in the midst of another meaningful run in September and the American League East crown in the balance the left-hander is taking it all in.</p>
<p>“It’s a lot of fun playing in games like this, playing in September and playing in games that matter,” Cecil said last week before a game against the Boston Red Sox. “First four years or so of my career I was playing, I don’t like to call it meaningless baseball because you always want to try and improve yourself in some area every game that you go out… but, trust me, it’s a lot more fun to be playing real meaningful games and try to win a division.”</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Trust me, it’s a lot more fun to be playing real meaningful games and try to win a division.”</p></blockquote>
<p>That shouldn’t surprise anyone, obviously any competitor wants to win, especially one who gets paid to help a franchise win games. However, what might surprise you is that the team’s struggles before their enchanted postseason run last season made the Jays’ recent success a little bit sweeter for Cecil.</p>
<p>“I feel like for myself, personally, it’s been good for me to have those struggles that I’ve had in the past and even now in your career because you look for ways to get better,” Cecil said. “You learn from your mistakes. You learn how to get better. You better yourself as a person. You better yourself as a pitcher.</p>
<p>“I don’t think anybody can have 100 % success in this game. There’s going to be some downfall at some point. Whether it’s a team, whether it’s your career personally. I think it’s great for everybody to have that.”</p>
<p>While the Dunkirk, Maryland native has experienced his share of losses and failures, both personally and as a team, he’s also had plenty of success at the Major League level, especially since converting full-time to a reliever in September 2012. In the three full seasons that followed Cecil revolutionized his game to become one of the best relievers in the game, posting a 2.67 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 11.5 K/9 between 2013 and 2015.</p>
<p>Out of the bullpen Cecil has flirted with the club’s closer role on a couple of occasions, but nothing was quite as impressive as his stretch in the second half of last season. From June 24, 2015 and into the playoffs Cecil was arguably the most dominant reliever in all of baseball. Sporting a streak of 39 straight appearances without allowing an earned run that included a 0.68 WHIP, and 12.3 K/9.</p>
<p>It all came to a tragic end for Cecil in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS series against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre. After retiring the first two batters he faced, including a strikeout of Prince Fielder, Cecil gave up a single to Mike Napoli through the right side of the infield that scored Marcus Stroman&#8217;s inherited runner to tie the game at 4. Then Cecil caught Napoli off of first base with a pickoff attempt and became part of a run down between first and second. In the midst of tagging out the Rangers&#8217; first baseman for the final out of the frame he tore his left calf muscle. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the playoffs, and left him cheering for his club from the sidelines as he voraciously attempted to overcome it.</p>
<p>While he chalked up just two innings of postseason experience as a result, it was more than a big enough bite for Cecil to want more. It’s that taste of success and finally experiencing meaningful baseball, combined with the club’s struggles earlier in his career that makes him want it even more this season.</p>
<p>“It’s both. It’s everything,” Cecil said. “It’s all the work you put off the field, in the weight room, and the off-season. You want it for your teammates. You want to do well for them</p>
<p>“We had a taste of it last year and we have a bad taste left in our mouth,”</p>
<blockquote><p>“We had a taste of it last year and we have a bad taste left in our mouth.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The Jays know how close they came last season, and that unfinished business has become a rallying cry for the team. But even with the contributions of Jason Grilli, Joaquin Benoit, and the ever-reliable Roberto Osuna at the back of the pen, a return to form by Cecil would drastically alter the Jays’ chances down the stretch.</p>
<p>The 30-year-old left-hander is trying to shake off an uncharacteristic season, and feels he’s almost there. Cecil, who hasn’t allowed a run since Aug. 21, now has a 1.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 12.6 K/9 in 22 games since July 22<sup>nd</sup>.</p>
<p>“I feel like my stuff’s been good all year,” Cecil said, who now has a 4.26 ERA on the season, nearly two full runs more than in 2015. “I feel like this year more than not it’s been bad pitches or poor pitch selection (that has hurt me). I feel like I’m going to fix that.&#8221;</p>
<p>“I felt really good my last couple of outings. I was telling people the other day that I don’t remember the last time I was consistently 94, 93, 94, 94 94 for two outings in a row. … It’s good for me to see that. Then obviously I know my breaking ball is where it needs to be. It’s sharp. I keep telling them, ‘guys, I have 30 innings. Throw me every day. I can go every other day for the rest of the season if you guys need me or want me.’ I’m a fresh arm right now. I’m feeling good so hopefully we can stretch this thing for a while.”</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I have 30 innings. Throw me every day. I can go every other day for the rest of the season if you guys need me or want me. I’m a fresh arm right now.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Regardless of where Cecil is slotted in the bullpen depth chart as the season winds down, or what the stats say about his year, the six-foot-three lefty’s main concern is the team record. You can throw away any personal stats and ignore anything he’s accomplished this year. At this time of season, when it matters most, it’s all about what the team can do.</p>
<p>“This isn’t an individual sport,” Cecil said bluntly.</p>
<p>Taking matters further, Cecil knows his role and what it takes to be a successful reliever. Part of that is having a short memory on the mound and not letting anything affect you. The other part comes from some advice given to him by former Blue Jays ace and current special assistant to the club Pat Hentgen.</p>
<p>“Hentgen always told us ‘you got to treat every outing like its Game 7 of the World Series,’” Cecil said. “If you’re a reliever coming in the fifth and getting the last out of the fifth<sup> </sup>inning or you’re Osuna getting the last three outs of the game. Every single out is important.&#8221;</p>
<p>“I know this team. The team knows itself, they know they can comeback from a pretty big deficit. We can come back in a short amount of time. That’s why I say every out is just as important as getting three outs in the ninth or being down 11-2 and getting outs in the fifth or sixth. It’s just as important.”</p>
<p>Whether or not Cecil will actually see Game 7 of the World Series in the future is yet to be seen, but he’s going to treat every appearance like it is. Until he gets there himself, he’s going to enjoy some meaningful baseball for a second consecutive season after a long stretch of losing and will try to avenge last season&#8217;s disappointment to wash that bad taste out of his mouth.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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