Playing .500 ball

I've been following the Blue Jays season rather closely this year, mostly because I spent a good part of the summer in North America and was able to see more of their games than usual, both live and on TV. One thing that I, along with every other Jays fan, has noticed this season is that they are always very close to .500, rarely more than a game or two away from the break-even mark.

With the season 2/3 over, I decided to check out their day-by-day record and was surprised to see that they had never been more than 5 games above the .500 mark (24-19 most recently) or 4 games below (51-55), a 9-game swing. As well, they spent 17 days at .500 (out of 54 possible days). I wondered if any other team had a similar record, so I downloaded each team's results, again up to game 108. A brief statistical analysis showed that no other club managed a single-digit span around the .500 mark, but the Diamondbacks weren't far off, ranging from 4 games above to 6 below. They also spent 16 days at .500, so they are the NL equivalent of Toronto, at least in this meaningless category.

The Red Sox also enjoyed 16 days at .500, while the Cardinals had a 10-game range, but that was from .500 to 10 games above.

Looking at the stats for each team, there are a few interesting tidbits:

The Dodgers are the only team to have not been at or below .500 all year (0-0 is not .500). They won their first three games on their way to a 9-1 start and have not fallen all the way back despite some recent struggles.

Minnesota, San Diego, and the Cubs have not been at or above .500, losing at least their first two and never crawling back. That's just sad.

Detroit spent 49 days above, 49 days below, and 10 days right on the mark. (Off-days are ignored). To compare, the Jays were above .500 78 days and below just 13. Unfortunately, the seemingly endless spate of injuries has finally caught up to them and most of those sub-.500 days are in the past two weeks. They may not make it back to .500 the rest of the way but it will be good to see their young guys in meaningful games.

Here are the stats for those interested. Max is the maximum number of games above .500, Min is the maximum below .500, Range is Max-Min, while Above, At, and Below are the number of days the team has spent relative to the .500 mark. The list is ordered by Range.

Team   Max     Min    Range   Above   At  Below
TOR      5      -4       9      78    17    13
ARI      4      -6      10      32    16    60
STL     10       0      10     103     5     0
BOS      5      -7      12      37    16    55
TBR     11      -1      12     102     4     2
MIL      2     -11      13       3     5   100
NYM      8      -5      13      91     3    14
BAL     13       0      13     107     1     0
DET      8      -6      14      49    10    49
SFG     13      -3      16      79    11    18
CHW     12      -4      16      78     9    21
CLE      8      -8      16      84     8    16
LAD     17       1      16     108     0     0
PHI      3     -14      17      13    10    85
MIN     -1     -18      17       0     0   108
SEA      2     -16      18       8     8    92
LAA     10      -8      18      56     6    46
MIA      8     -10      18      36     6    66
OAK     10      -9      19      33    14    61
PIT     16      -4      20      58     5    45
KCR      1     -19      20       2     3   103
ATL     16      -4      20      99     2     7
TEX     21       0      21     107     1     0
SDP     -1     -22      21       0     0   108
WSN     22       0      22     107     1     0
CHC     -1     -24      23       0     0   108
NYY     23      -3      26      98     5     5
CIN     25      -4      29      83     9    16
COL      1     -30      31       5     9    94
HOU      2     -37      39       3     3   102

Best,

Sean

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Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays - July 2-3, 2012

I'm spending a week in Canada before returning to Singapore and the Blue Jays thoughtfully scheduled a home series against Kansas City, so I went to the first two games at Rogers Centre (the big white spot in the aerial shot below, taken during my flight from Atlanta).



On Monday, Ricky Romero was torched to the tune of eight earned runs as KC won 11-3. No pictures from this nightmare. Despite being a holiday Monday, only 17,127 showed up. The good news with such a poor crowd is that you can buy an upper deck ticket and then sit in the lower deck without being hassled.



On Tuesday, the team played a truly enjoyable baseball game. After falling behind 3-0, the Jays fought back by sending 11 batters to the plate in the 4th. Colby Rasmus' bunt single and a 3-run jack from Adam Lind were the highlights as Toronto took a 6-3 lead.



Starter Brett Cecil and three relievers kept KC off the board the rest of the way, with Casey Janssen (above being congratulated by Jeff Mathis) getting his 10th save. With the win, the Jays hit the halfway mark of the season at 41-40.


Yunel Escobar singles

For this game, my friend Chien was visiting from Beijing and he brought his young son to his first ballgame. We were able to procure good seats from a friendly scalper, just eight rows up from first base and cheaper than the box office. With only 15,516 on hand, the place was deadly quiet at times. To compare, the AAA Buffalo Bisons had 414 more fans for their Independence Eve game. The Jays need to find ways to get more fans into the ballpark for these less popular opponents.


Yuniesky Betancourt returns to the dugout

The roof was closed when the game began as there was a threat of rain, but when the skies cleared, the roof was opened (below). Interestingly, it was during the 4th inning and the Jays responded with their six-spot once they had some natural light to work with.



Stupid Stats

In the two summer trips this year, I saw the Jays 11 times, 5 in Toronto and 6 on the road. They went 3-2 at home and 3-3 as visitors. In those 11 games, they committed only 2 errors and generally played very good defense. They also have a great offense but the injuries to their rotation have doomed them this season, I fear. Great fun to watch though and it will be enjoyable to see them develop over the next few years.

Next Up

I'll be returning to Toronto this weekend, first for the Argos home opener on Saturday and then the Honda Indy on Sunday. Check back for updates next week.

Best,

Sean

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Toronto Blue Jays at Miami Marlins - June 22-24, 2012

The Florida Marlins were one of baseball's laughingstocks, playing in front of tiny crowds in the worst stadium in the majors. Ownership fought for a new ballpark and finally got local government to agree to partially fund a new venue on the site of the Orange Bowl.

Definitely an improvement over Sun Life Stadium, Marlins Park has received mixed reviews since its opening earlier this season. There are a few minor problems that are to be expected, but I found this place to be welcoming and enjoyable; it is too bad that more local fans don't feel the same way.

Marlins Park



Located in the Little Havana community just north of downtown, Marlins Park is severely out of place. It appears to be a spaceship that has landed amongst the single-story stucco houses that make up the rest of the neighbourhood. There are a couple of transit options to get there, with the shuttle from Culmer Metrorail Station the one that I tried and would strongly recommend that you avoid. On weekdays after 9 pm and weekends, the train operates on a half-hour basis, and it happened to be 15 minutes late on the night we used it, making the schedule meaningless. It took well over an hour to get home after the Friday night game, when it should take about 30 minutes. For the weekend, I found free street parking just two blocks away, on 19th Avenue at 6th Street. Within a minute walk I saw people charging $10 to park at their house and the $20 lot next to the stadium was just five minutes away. In other words, you need not pay for parking here.



As you walk to the stadium, you might be stunned by the sheer size of the building. The roof may be open as it is in the shot above as they are trying to get as much sun onto the natural grass field as they can, but even then there are teething problems with some of the outfield suffering as you can see below.



There are plenty of ticket options but in the three games we saw, there was no need to purchase from the box office, which made us happy as we would rather not give any money to Jeffrey Loria, who destroyed the Montreal Expos. There are scalpers, but we ended up getting lower deck seats between the bases for less than half of face value from normal fans who had extras. Be patient and you should get a deal.



Before you walk into the ballpark, pay a visit to the Holiday Bakery right next to the Home Plate Entrance in the West Plaza. This is perhaps the best value of any eatery associated with an MLB stadium; I had a wrap for $4 and a guava pastry for $2.50 or so. Cuban sandwiches were $8.50, a $4 savings on the same item inside. This place is tasty, cheap and hard to beat, with a few tables outside to enjoy your meal before you enter the facility.



Once inside, you will likely be underwhelmed by the lack of attractions. There are four colour-coded quadrants that represent the four entrances; in the picture below you can see the transition from the green behind center field to the red that represents third base.



Walking around the concourses is usually problem free, but inside the seating bowl a number of sections close to the field are restricted to ticket holders, making autographs a bit difficult to get for those without the necessary documents. However, I found that ushers rarely checked tickets for the rest of the seating bowl and you could easily move down to a better seat should you be so inclined. The second level is mostly club seats and so I didn't explore here, with the third deck cheap but a bit far away.



Behind home plate you will find the Bobblehead Museum, a collection of hundreds of these giveaway items collected from every MLB stadium and then some. It can take a while to go through them all, so they are organized by team within each league to make it easier to find your favourite. There are even placeholders for bobbleheads that have been given away (such as Brandon Morrow last month) but yet to be delivered.



As the site used to be the Orange Bowl, there is a single pole acting as a tribute to this great stadium. As well, the east side of the stadium has an art installation that represents the letters of Orange Bowl as they fell when the facility was blown up, so make sure to walk around before you go inside.



There are two aquariums in the backstop behind home plate, but you need to have the very expensive Field Level seats to get a close look.



Of course, the most obvious attraction is the Home Run Feature, a mechanized sculpture that is illuminated and shows leaping Marlins after each home team homer. This was voted the worst ballpark landmark by Jim Caple at ESPN, but I beg to differ. Yes, it is rather garish, but the Chick-Fil-A ad at Turner Field is far, far worse, as are the roof rings at Tropicana Field.



Typical concessions are plentiful but must be ignored as there is only one place where you should dine once inside the ballpark. Along the left field concourse lies Taste of Miami, highlighting three local restaurants that offer unique tastes that are not available anywhere else in the venue. My favourite was the side of pork at Papo Llega y Pon; at $6 it is simply the best value in all MLB stadiums; tasty, relatively healthy, and freshly made. Coupled with the bakery outside, Marlins Park is tops for specialty food in the majors. In other words, avoid the hot dogs and pretzels here.

There is also a designated driver program booth right across from the Bobblehead Museum, but get there early as they run out of soft drink vouchers well before the game even starts.



The roof is retractable but shut for nearly every game due to the oppressive humidity that dominates the area. After the game though, the roof is opened to allow the grass to receive the sunshine, so stay there for a few minutes to see that (above). There is also a glass wall behind left field that offers views of downtown (below). The wall is operable in that it can be opened, although it remained closed during the weekend.



Finally, a word about the Clevelander. This is a famous bar on South Beach that has opened a branch behind the left field fence, right next to the Marlins' bullpen. There are seats available right behind the fence during the game that look pretty cool but were not available while we were there.



However, the Clevelander really demonstrates its value after the game, when it turns into a party spot for a couple of hours. There is a small dance stage and even a swimming pool. We stopped by on both Saturday and Sunday and were impressed with the entertainment (example below). Drinks are as expensive as those in the ballpark plus a gratuity so arrive with plenty of cash if you plan to imbibe. The crowd was quite varied on both days, with Blue Jays fans mingling with the locals and everybody having a good time. Naturally you'll need to keep yourself in control if you drive, but the high prices should help you there. Regardless, make sure to pay a post-game visit and see what is going on.



Overall, I enjoyed my three days here immensely. Early buzz on the stadium was somewhat negative, but this is because most people doing ballpark reviews follow the same cliched template. For me, Marlins Park is unique in many positive ways. Yes, it is a covered stadium but that is a necessity here. Sure, the colour scheme is rather ugly, but this is Miami, where old art deco hotels line South Beach. The ballpark succeeds in so many other areas: free parking nearby, cheap and delicious food, good seats that are easy to acquire, friendly fans, and a great bar for post-game partying. You heard it here first: Marlins Park is a winner. Seriously, who cares if there is an ugly home run sculpture; that is not what ballparks are about; they are about being entertained. Simply put, get yourself to Miami and have fun! Billy the Marlin is waiting for you!



Game 1 - Toronto 12, Miami 5

Ricky Romero started for Toronto, the third time that I would see him this year. The other two times, the Jays gave him 14 and 12 runs of support, and today was no different as they thumped Marlins pitching for another dozen, winning 12-5 in a  game that was a lot of fun to watch from behind the plate.



Brett Lawrie (above) was 3-5 with 3 runs scored and Joey Bautista went 2-3 with his 23rd home run, tying him with Adam Dunn for the league lead. The Marlins did hit three home runs so I was able to witness the hated home run sculpture in action. Romero improved to 8-1 on the season but a lot of that is due to this enormous run support.

The Marlins lost their 5th straight. Maybe if manager Ozzie Guillen spent less time checking out the ladies in the dugout seats and more time focused on the game, they might win more often.



Game 2 - Toronto 7, Miami 1



Brett Cecil (above) was making his second start of the season against Marlins' ace Josh Johnson. The Blue Jays got a run with no hits by playing small ball, using two walks, a sacrifice, and a squeeze to take an early 1-0 lead. In fact, they didn't have a base knock through 4, leading me to briefly hope they would win 1-0 without a hit. Yunel Escobar ruined that dream with a 5th inning single.


Joey Bautista singles in the ninth

Cecil managed to keep the Marlins off the board until the 7th, when Justin Ruggiano bunted for a lead-off single and Omar Infante doubled him home. Jason Frasor replaced Cecil and retired all three batters he faced, including Greg Dobbs, who was pinch-hitting for Johnson. This was the key moment as the game remain tied, preventing the Marlins from using closer Heath Bell in the ninth, instead forcing them to rely on their less than stellar bullpen.

After a scoreless eighth, Steve Cishek was left in to pitch the ninth for Miami and gave up a lead-off homer to Edwin Encarnacion, which garnered loud cheers from the many Blue Jay fans in attendance. A single, sacrifice, intentional walk, and balk put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Jeff Mathis tried a squeeze and Cishek muffed the play to the plate, giving the Blue Jays an insurance run. Edward Mujica came on to get pinch-hitter Omar Vizquel but then hit Lawrie to load the bases for Colby Rasmus, who popped a grand slam to deep right that sealed the contest.

This was a great game for me as the Jays used small ball to take the lead early while Cecil performed admirably despite not having his best stuff. Then the late explosion for the win, helped by a perfect bullpen combo of Jason Frasor, Darren Oliver, and Casey Janssen. The entire team and coaching staff did so well and the Marlins' fans in our section complimented the performance. Their team were no slouches either, with Ruggiano making an amazing catch in center field that was the top play on ESPN that night.



Late in the game, Marlins catcher Brett Hayes fouled one off straight at us (above) and the ball bounced around, landing next to a little girl a few seats away. An older guy in front of her took the ball and was immediately hounded by boos until he sheepishly returned it to her, although she had no idea what was going on, asking "Why did I get this?" Exactly. Teaching kids undeserved entitlement when they are young is the wrong lesson; they need to learn to work to get their rewards. They'll have plenty of time to get their own foul balls, if they really want them.

Game 3 - Miami 9, Toronto 0



With rookie Jesse Chavez starting against veteran Mark Buerhle (above), I expected a Marlins' blowout win and that's what I got. Chavez didn't pitch poorly but gave up a couple of long balls, including a 3-run shot to John Buck that hit the HR sculpture. The Jays managed 8 hits but no runs, with Brett Lawrie thrown out at home in the only real chance they had. Below is the fantastic scoreboard with the Marlins already up 4 in the second inning.



The Marlins ended a streak of 25 straight games scoring 5 runs or less. At least Toronto took 2 of 3 in the series, and split the 6 road games I saw on this trip.

Notes

The Marlins need to hire some knowledgeable baseball people to run their trivia contests. On two separate occasions on Saturday, they misspelled a hall-of-famer's name.





Next Up

Back to the Florida State League, with 6 games in the next 5 days, weather permitting (Florida has been hit by Tropical Storm Debby over the past couple of days). Tomorrow I return to Roger Dean Stadium to check out the Palm Beach Cardinals so come back on Tuesday for an update.

Best,

Sean

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Toronto Blue Jays at Atlanta Braves - June 8-10, 2012

After a brief return to Singapore to move into my new apartment, I have again made my way to North America to do yet another sports road trip. The catalyst this time was the Blue Jays playing in the Marlins' new stadium in mid-June, but when I saw that the Jays' other interleague road matchups included Atlanta, I decided to start the journey with that 3-game set at Turner Field before heading to Florida.

Turner Field



Located just south of downtown, Turner Field was originally built for the 1996 Olympics, hosting all track and field events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Prior to the Olympics, baseball games were played at Fulton-County Stadium next door,where Hank Aaron hit his famous 715th home run.  Once the Olympics ended though, the Braves' owner at the time, media mogul Ted Turner, paid $45 million to retrofit the stadium to make it suitable for baseball. In exchange, the name of the stadium became Turner Field. One of the remnants of Olympic Stadium can be seen at the main entrance along Ralph D. Abernathy Street - the columns that now form the gates used to be the columns which supported the seats in the old stadium.

Of course, when Turner Field was created, Fulton-County Stadium had to be knocked down to make room for parking. Fortunately, the Braves preserved the most historic moment at the stadium, Hank Aaron's home run fence. In the large reserved parking lot known as the Delta Medallion lot, there stands a portion of fence with the 715 plaque that is so familiar to baseball fans everywhere.



Getting to the stadium is very easy. Take any Marta train to Five Points Station, from where you can get a shuttle right to the ballpark. Service begins about two hours before game time and lasts for an hour after the game. The shuttle is free if you took a train to get there, or $2.50 otherwise. On the way back, the shuttle is free as you can board via the rear door. For those of who you prefer to drive, parking is $15 but there did seem to be a lot of traffic both before and after the game.



Before you enter the stadium, take time to tour around Monument Grove, the large open plaza next to the ticket windows. This area is decorated with statues of Aaron (above), Ty Cobb, and Phil Niekro as well as all the Braves' retired numbers, including the newly added #29 belonging to John Smoltz.



Take note of the 100-foot large baseball photo on the back of the scoreboard gate is Hank Aaron's 715th home run ball; the real thing is on display in the Braves Hall of Fame and Museum.



Buying tickets here is easy as Atlanta is not a great sports town and the fans rarely fill up the ballpark. I recommend the General Admission seats which are the cheapest, with prices varying depending on opponent. Once inside, you can pretty much sit anywhere in the upper deck though, which gives good views of the downtown area about a mile away, including the gold dome of the State Capitol (below).



If you prefer to be closer, there are standing rails on the lower level, which I love as I can place my scorebook and drink there while watching the game. After a few innings, the ushers will let you sit down in the top rows of the 200 level.



The plaza gates open 2.5 hours before the game begins, which gives you plenty of time to see all the attractions here. Above left field is a small area called Sky Field, which has little other than a baseline where kids can test their speed. Behind the left field seats is Scouts Alley, which has a few batting games and the entrance to the museum.



The 100 level has a huge concourse with team pictures from every year since 1966, when the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. Below is the 1966 Braves, including a young Phil Niekro. The 200 level concourse is where you will find more food options. There is more than enough space to walk around here and I never felt crowded at any time.



The main scoreboard above centre field is called Braves Vision, while the the out-of-town scoreboard is located above the 755 club in left field. There are also a couple of stats boards that are updated in real-time. The Braves impressive collection of pennants just beneath the  club, but they have cheapened it somewhat by including their 2010 wild card berth.



Food here is plentiful but there is little that is unique. However, prices are more than reasonable, especially for season ticket holders who enjoy a 33% discount on most food options. My recommendation is the BBQ turkey sandwich platter at the Smoke House located just inside the plaza entrance. For just $9  you get a big turkey sandwich lathered in your choice of BBQ sauce, as well as two sides, with mac'n'cheese and cornbread muffins a couple of possible choices.



When I first visited Turner Field in 2001, I thought it was a typical new ballpark and ranked it 14th out of 30 parks that year. My opinion hasn't changed in the past decade, but several new ballparks have knocked this place down the list to the bottom third. I like the history here outside the gates and the Braves certainly do have a long and storied past to commemorate, but inside the park there is little of note other than free wifi available throughout the seating bowl. Regardless, it is definitely worth a visit and take the time to talk to the staff here; they are very friendly and really made my stay here enjoyable despite the Jays' playing less than ideal baseball for most of the weekend.

Game 1 - Atlanta 4, Toronto 3 (10)

John Smoltz, Braves Hall of Fame Induction

Before the game began, the Braves honoured John Smoltz, who pitched as both a starter and reliever for 21 seasons for the team. He is the only hurler in history with over 200 wins (213) and 150 saves (154). The Braves set up a large stage in front of home plate and introduced several past stars, including Phil Niekro, Dale Murphy, Greg Maddux, and Bobby Cox. A few speeches were made describing Smoltz's competitiveness and talent, and Smoltz himself spoke to a standing ovation from the fans.



His 29 was added to the long line of retired numbers above left field (below) as fans continued to cheer. The whole thing took about 20 minutes and was handled with class by all involved. I was glad to be able to see this; the question now is when will Smoltz be welcomed to Cooperstown.




The Game

The Blue Jays are so frustrating to watch this year. Talented but lacking that killer instinct and poor on fundamentals, they are struggling to stay above .500 in a year when the playoffs are within reach. This game was like so many others, where they had chances to win but couldn't get the key run when they needed it.

With the Braves up 1-0, Jose Bautista crushed a Brandon Beachy pitch to lead off the 6th inning (below). Edwin Encarnacion then singled and Kelly Johnson walked to end Beachy's day. Ex-Brave Yunel Escobar sacrificed and J.P. Arencibia grounded into a fielders choice to give the Jays the lead 2-1.



Starter Kyle Drabek had struggled through 5 innings and when he walked Dan Uggla for the third time to open the 6th, I felt it was time to call in the bullpen. Toronto skipper John Farrell disagreed though, and Jason Heyward proved me right, doubling home Uggla to tie the game. One batter too late, Drabek was removed, no longer in line for the win. After Luis Perez got pinch hitter Matt Diaz to fly out, advancing Heyward to third, he walked Andrelton Simmons, and Chad Beck was brought on. He struck out pinch-hitter Freddie Freeman and it looked like the Jays might escape the jam, but then Beck faked the pick-off move to third and didn't throw to first, getting called for a balk, which allowed Heyward to score. I just sighed in resignation.

In the 8th, Encarnacion doubled to lead off, advanced to third on a Johnson groundout, and scored on an Escobar chopper to tie the game. After Darren Oliver pitched a scoreless 8th, the Jays had a chance to win it in 9th off fireballer Craig Kimbrel. Rajai Davis beat out an infield hit and stole second and third with just one out. But Brett Lawrie struck out swinging on a 99 MPH heater and Colby Rasmus flew out to end the threat.



The Braves also left the winning run at third in their half of the 9th and we went to extra innings. The Jays got nothing against Cristhian Martinez in the 10th and Francisco Cordero came on to pitch in the bottom half. Oh well. Heyward legged out a high chopper to second (above) and was sacrificed to second by Jack Wilson. With Simmons batting, Heyward broke for third and Arencibia's throw got past Lawrie, allowing Heyward to trot home with the winning run, sending the fans into an extended Tomahawk chop. Sadly, none of the fans had a real tomahawk that I could jam into my brain to end the nightmare, so I just sat there in silence enduring the pain.

This was just an ugly game with 14 total walks (7 per team), the balk, the error, and taking nearly 4 hours to complete. I could only hope that was the low point of the weekend.

Game 2 - Atlanta 5, Toronto 2

The Braves play Saturday games at 4:05, a rather odd time that essentially prevents you from doing much else that day if you want to get there early to tour the park. It was another celebration, this time featuring Sid Bream's slide that won the 1992 NLCS. A very cool bobblehead (below) was given to the first 20,000 fans and Bream, Francisco Cabrera, and umpire Randy Marsh participated in a pre-game ceremony. No word on Pirates' catcher Mike Lavalliere's absence, but he must have OK'd his likeness. All 3 figures are bobbleheads by the way.



Once the festivities were over, the Braves sent Tommy Hanson to the mound (below) while the Jays countered with rookie Drew Hutchinson. Hutchinson only gave up one walk, but it hurt. With two out in the 3rd and a runner on, Brian McCann drew the free pass. Uggla was up next and crushed a 1-1 offering to centre for a 3-run dinger and the lead.



Jose Bautista hit his 2nd homer in 2 days (below), a 2-run shot to make it close in the 6th, but Hutchinson gave up a solo shot to Simmons in the 7th, his first MLB home run that made it 4-2.



The Braves added one more in that inning and Hanson pitched a 3-up 3-down 8th to finish his strong outing. Kimbrel closed with his league-leading 18th save and yet again I sullenly returned to my hotel after a Jays' road loss.

Game 3 - Toronto 12, Atlanta 4

This battle began in a light drizzle with Ricky Romero taking on Baseball America's #5 prospect Julio Teheran (below), called up for a spot start in place of Tim Hudson, who was battling bone spurs.



Teheran was solid, yielding only a broken bat single to Encarnacion (below) through four frames, while Romero struggled, giving up four runs in his four innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth.



At this point, Teheran seemed to hit a wall, giving up 3 hits and a walk as the Jays plated a run. Livan Hernandez came in with the bases loaded and promptly gave up three singles and a double that allowed five more Jays to score and suddenly it was 6-4! Romero was off the hook, but could the bullpen hold the lead?

Fortunately, the Jays' offense had finally come to life. With 2 out in the 6th, the Jays elected to let reliever Carlos Villanueva hit for himself. He managed a lucky single off Hernandez and then Lawrie crushed a ball to left for a 2-run shot. Rasmus followed with a homer to right and the rout was on. Toronto added two more in the 7th and another in the 8th to win 12-4 and take one of three, a usual occurrence when I see them on the road.

The Jays had managed only 11 hits in the first 22 innings of the weekend, and then pounded out 17 knocks in the last 5 frames. They are such a streaky team this year and are 31-29 now. Hope they are on a hot streak in two weeks when I see them in Miami.

Notes

The second most historic moment to take place at Fulton County Stadium was the Blue Jays' 1992 World Series victory, but for some reason, this is not commemorated. Thankfully, the Braves maintain the outline of the basepaths in the parking lot and so you can visit where first base once lay. This is the spot where Joe Carter took the toss from Mike Timlin to clinch the series. I was by myself so could not re-enact the famous moment but did take pictures. Above is home plate and the first base line. Below is first base, the site of the happiest moment of my life. 

This is the Mecca for Blue Jays fans!

I really want to hate Braves' fans with their stupid Tomahawk chop (they also do the wave at times), but they were so friendly when they saw my Blue Jays jersey, amiably chatting with me at the ballpark and around the city, so I have to give them grudging respect.

The big Coke bottle in left field has its label changed during the national anthems. The singer on Sunday messed up the words to O Canada as well.


MLB.com says the Jays' record in interleague play is 54-82, so maybe I should rethink my plan to see them play in every NL ballpark.

Next Up

I'm on my way to Jacksonville to begin nearly three weeks in the Sunshine State. Every day will see at least one ballgame on the schedule, so check back often for updates.

Best,

Sean

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