It was one wild ride for Jays' fans in 2010; complete with records falling and a teary farewell.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season came and went with many twists and turns. While many of the pre-season publications supported the Yankees and Phillies meeting in the World Series for a second consecutive season, you know what they say about the best laid plans.
Over the course of a 162 game schedule many variables come into play: injuries, age, weather and suspensions just to name a few. Before flipping the calendar over to 2011, a look back at an intriguing and unpredictable year in Blue Jays baseball is in order.
TOP 5 BLUE JAYS MEMORIES
1 . JOSE BAUTISTA
- Vernon Wells led the team in hits with 161 and doubles with 44
- Bautista was the only Jays player over 100 RBI (124)
- Kevin Gregg led the team in saves with 37
- The Jays open 2011 at home to the Twins
-
We all should have seen this coming; afterall, Bautista closed out the 2009 season by blasting a MLB-leading 10 home runs in his final 26 games. When Bautista arrived at spring training he was told he would finally be an everyday player and would bat lead-off. The experiment atop the Blue Jays lineup lasted a mere 12 games as his big bat was needed further down. The rest, as they say, is history. Bautista turned up the power, slamming 12 home runs in May and August, as well as 11 in July and September. On September 17 at Fenway Park, Bautista broke George Bell's 23-year-old club record with his 48th home run of the season. Six days later with his parents in attendance, he blasted his 50th off soon-to-be Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez. Bautista finished the season with 54, a full 12 more than N.L. leader Albert Pujols. Now the hard part will be replicating his monster season as well as getting his signature on a lucrative contract extension.
2 . BRANDON MORROW
When the trade between the Mariners and Blue Jays went down, it wasn't considered a blockbuster, but rather a deal where both teams anticipated that a change of scenery might help a couple of young pitchers finally realize their potential. While Brandon League continued to underwhelm with the Mariners, the Blue Jays got the better end of the bargain when they turned Brandon Morrow into a full-time starter. But it took a while. Through the end of the first full month Morrow sported an ERA of 6.00, but a tweaking of his delivery (after fellow starter Shaun Marcum noticed something from the dugout) led to him becoming one of the most dominating starters during the second half of the season. His ultimate start came on August 8 at Rogers Centre when he no-hit the Rays over 8 2/3 and finished off the masterpiece with 17 strikeouts. After pitching a career-high 146.1 innings, the team ended up shutting its big right-hander down in early September, but it's expected that Morrow will not be held back in 2011. He has the stuff to be the future ace of the rotation.
3. J.P. ARENCIBIA
One day before Morrow's near no-hitter, top prospect J.P. Arencibia made his long-awaited major league debut after blasting 31 home runs to lead the Pacific Coast League. And what a debut it was. Arencibia homered on the first pitch he saw in the majors, becoming the 26th player all-time to turn that feat. Before his day was over, Arencibia hit another home run, finished 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. Unfortunately, Arencibia played sparingly the rest of the way after No. 1 catcher John Buck returned from injury. Arencibia slumped to a 1-for-30 through the end of the season. But for one afternoon, Blue Jays fans got a glimpse into the future and have to be excited about the prospect of having Arencibia as a starter in 2011.
4 . JOHN McDONALD
On June 15, Jack McDonald, father of Jays' infielder John, passed away after a long and courageous battle with liver cancer. He was 60. Five days later, after returning from burying his father in Connecticut, John stepped to the plate in the ninth and hit a home run on Father's Day. As he crossed the plate, Johnny Mac pointed skyward after having promised his Dad that he would dedicate his next home run to him. There was not a dry eye in the house when he returned to the dugout, and certainly not one in our broadcast booth. A long-time favourite of Blue Jays fans, who always root for the underdog, John McDonald's legend added another chapter.
5. CITO GASTON
The longest tenured manager in franchise history led his team to a surprising 85-77 record in his final season, a far better result than anyone had predicted from a team playing in its first season in the post-Halladay era. Gaston received excellent starting pitching and his team hit a club record 257 home runs, tied for the third highest total in major league history. When it was all said and done, Gaston finished with a career record of 894-837, four first-place finishes and two World Series titles. His whole managerial career was tied with a nice neat bow on the final night of the home schedule, on Wednesday September 29, with a wonderful pre-game ceremony before an announced crowd of over 33,000. There was a lot of love in the air on the final day of the regular season when the Twins also honoured Gaston in a pre-game ceremony that included former Jays' Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Orlando Hudson. It was a great send-off for a great man who was never fully appreciated by the media and many fans who, for whatever reason, could never fully give Gaston his due.
GREAT YEAR FOR CANADIAN BASEBALL
It began when Toronto-born and Reds first baseman Joey Votto was voted National League MVP after a .324 Avg, 37 HR, 113 RBI season. Then the long-time voice of the Expos, Dave Van Horne, was honoured with the Ford C. Frick award for excellence in broadcasting. Days later, former Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick, the architect of the World Series teams, was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. And the great year should culminate in early January with the expected announcement that former Jays superstar second baseman Roberto Alomar will be inducted next July, becoming the first Toronto player to go in wearing a Blue Jays hat. I can't think of a better way to wrap up the 2010 baseball year in review. Here's hoping that many Canadian baseball fans are in attendance that day in Cooperstown.
