Roberto Osuna has made a habit of coming up big for the Toronto Blue Jays all season long, and Tuesday night was no different.
After the Blue Jays took a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth after an uncharacteristic error from Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, the 20-year-old rookie closer came into the game to cap the comeback win in style.
Late-inning performances such as Tuesday’s are what Blue Jays fans have come to expect from Osuna, but they’re not the only people taking notice. Jon Morosi of FOX Sports is among them.
"If the awards certainly were ‘The Most Valuable Rookie,’ the answer would be Roberto Osuna because without him that Blue Jays bullpen is nowhere close to where it is right now," Morosi told Jeff Blair and Arash Madani on Prime Time Sports Wednesday.
"Fifteen-for-fifteen in the ninth inning is just unbelievable for a guy that was not even above class-A ball last year."
As Morosi alluded to, Osuna has converted all 15 of his save opportunities since taking over as the Jays’ closer on June 22 and hasn’t allowed a run since Aug. 2 against the Kansas City Royals. He’s sporting a 1.46 ERA with 28 strikeouts since taking over the role.
But Osuna isn’t the only pitcher in Toronto drawing a lot of attention.
David Price has been spectacular since coming to the Blue Jays from the Detroit Tigers prior to the July 31 trade deadline, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.78 ERA and 33 strikeouts in four starts for Toronto.
His dominance since the move has only solidified the left-hander’s place atop the list of free agents to hit the market this coming off-season.
"He’s going to get paid as one of the two or three highest-paid pitchers in the history of the game, that’s what he’s going to command," Morosi said on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. "I think the Jays are going to have their chance. I think everybody’s going to have their chance."
Of course the Blue Jays are going to be in on Price this winter, but what are the chances the former Cy Young winner will re-sign in Toronto?
"I think he’s going to go to the place where he’s going to have the most fun playing baseball for the next six or seven years," Morosi said. "And right now I would say Toronto’s a pretty fun place to play baseball."
Price, who turned 30 on Wednesday, celebrated his birthday with another impressive performance in the Blue Jays 12-4 rout of the Texas Rangers.
