OAKLAND, Calif. – Bo Schultz looked over at Justin Smoak, glove at the ready, wanting the ball back. The first baseman just took the relay from Ryan Goins on a game-ending 4-6-3 double play, and didn’t know why his pitcher was asking for the ball.
"Justin thought that I didn’t realize the game was over," says Schultz. "I was just trying to put my hands on the ball, put it in my back pocket and make sure it didn’t disappear anywhere."
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Schultz wanted a memento from his first career big-league save, a two-pitch effort that secured the Toronto Blue Jays’ 5-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. The 29-year-old from Dallas, signed as an amateur free agent by the A’s on June 22, 2008, had waited a long time for such an opportunity.
"Go figure it’s against the team that I had my first professional experience with, the team that gave me an opportunity," he says. "I was just happy to be here at O.co, especially in the other dugout, but first save regardless, it’s a pretty incredible moment."
Also incredible is the way he’s emerged as a trusted back-end reliever for the Blue Jays after 17 appearances. He’s logged 25.2 innings, allowed just five earned runs on 16 hits and six walks, with 21 strikeouts, becoming part of a late-game trio the Blue Jays envision with closer Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez – once he’s activated from the DL.
"It’s very confidence boosting," Schultz says of the trust put in him by manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker. "I know when I got my opportunity when the Blue Jays claimed me that they at least saw something to bring me onto the roster, and hopefully incorporate me somehow down the road. I’m confident that I have what it takes to be a back-end guy. Every outing that I have, first inning, fifth inning, ninth inning, I feel very fortunate that I’ve earned Gibby’s and Pete’s respect, that they trust me for those spots. Hopefully I can continue to perform in those situations."
Schultz was given the chance to close things out Thursday after Osuna worked 1.1 innings the previous night, and he quickly got Ike Davis to hit into the double play.
"Perfect," praised Gibbons. "He’s come on so fast for us, he’s a weapon."
Schultz was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks last Oct. 7, one of the plethora of fliers GM Alex Anthopoulos takes on players each season. The right-hander made his big-league debut last year, logging eight innings over four games and surrendering seven earned runs.
Still, with a big fastball – he’s averaging 95.7 mph – there was reason to take a chance on him.
"One of the most important transition points was this past off-season, I spent a lot of time working on confidence and mental stuff," he says. "Not that I necessarily lacked confidence, but it’s a lot easier to fall into that pattern of, ‘Crap, what did I do wrong? Oops, why did that bounce not go my way?’ rather than just saying, ‘Alright, I’m going to come at you with the best stuff I have, if I execute what I do, I believe I’m going to get you out more often than not.’ That’s the step that’s helped me reach here."
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SHORT HOPS: Jose Reyes went down in a heap during the eighth inning Thursday during a play at second and left the game early, but it was nothing serious. "He got hit in the lips," says manager John Gibbons. "He was spitting a little blood." He should be fine for Friday. … The Blue Jays have been careful about managing Russell Martin’s workload, but with the catcher suddenly scorching hot after a 7-for-11 series in Oakland, manager John Gibbons must also be wary of interrupting a good thing. "You always worry about that, but coming into this series he had two days off in a row, that might have helped him a little bit," says Gibbons. "We’ll see. If a guy is hot, you don’t want to get in the way of that."