There was something a little different going on at Rogers Centre Sunday afternoon, and it wasn’t just because of the rare visit from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Things were looking a lot less red on the field than what’s been the norm this season with the Toronto Blue Jays opting to wear their traditional white and blue uniforms instead of the special Canada 150 reds that they’ve worn every Sunday this year.
According to infielder Ryan Goins, that was a major contributing factor towards their 7-1 shelling of the Pirates who says it was a “collective” team decision not to wear them because they’ve been bad luck for the team.
“We should just shred ‘em, burn ‘em, I don’t know, give them away to charity or something,” Goins told reporters after the game.
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The Blue Jays are 3-5 in games where they wear red, including a few lopsided losses.
“[The losses] weren’t very close,” Goins said. “I think 19-2, 14-1, so yeah, they’re probably going to be done for the year. Save your red, just try wearing blue everyday.”
The Blue Jays’ offensive performance has been slightly worse while wearing red:
| Wearing Sunday Reds | Team Totals | |
|---|---|---|
| BA | .246 | .242 |
| OBP | .314 | .318 |
| SLG | .391 | .412 |
| OPS | .704 | .728 |
| Runs Per Game | 3.1 | 4.3 |
Where Goins’ theory makes even more sense is in the team’s pitching performance while wearing red:
| Wearing Sunday Reds | Team Totals | |
|---|---|---|
| ERA | 7.50 | 4.55 |
| K/9 | 8.0 | 8.6 |
| BB/9 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
Long story short, Goins might be on to something. The Blue Jays appear to hit and pitch worse while wearing them. Additionally they provide a different look for the team and give fans another reason to come out to the ballpark.
In a season like this one, any extra incentive to get people down to Rogers Centre should never be banned.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article did not include the Blue Jays’ Canada Day results.
