Blue Jays Clinch AL East and Top Seed With Excellent Finale
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By Harry Kettle
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Summary:
- The Blue Jays secured the AL East with a remarkable 13–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on the final day of the season.
- John Schneider’s side claimed the No. 1 seed in the American League and a direct spot in the American League Division Series.
- Players called the season emotional and special, with fans celebrating.
The Toronto Blue Jays who lost to the Astros recently, saved their biggest statement for the very last day of the regular season. With a commanding 13–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, they clinched the American League East crown, a finish few outside their own clubhouse believed possible back in April.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: “We Did It This Year”
Despite many somber predictions envisioning the team slowly becoming irrelevant by mid-summer, this season turned out to be something else entirely for the Jays that currently holds the top seed in the American League and a direct path to the ALDS, not to mention the entire weight of a country and the hope of a fan base still dreaming of the franchise’s first World Series since 1993.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with champagne dripping from his jersey summed it up best as celebrations spilled onto the Rogers Centre field.
There’s been a lot of ups and downs, losing, crying, happiness, but thank God, we did it this year
The heartfelt party was joined by manager John Schneider, who spoke live with Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae while looking up to see his entire team gathered behind him in front of the dugout.
These guys are my second family. You sacrifice time with your own family to be with these guys and have a common goal. I’ll never forget that. I love that Hazel called some guys out. It was really cool for me to take a mental picture of what was going on in front of the dugout.
Division Reset
Toronto’s rise means a reset in a division long dominated by the Yankees and Red Sox. Instead of running the show, those two giants will square off in a Wild Card series just to earn the right to face the Jays in Toronto.
Veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman, who started the clinching game, spoke about what this title means beyond baseball.
Winning the division means a little bit more here. One team for an entire country is something that I didn’t really know when I signed up to come here, but man, it’s exciting. You can feel the love they have for the Blue Jays. Hopefully, we can make a run at this and they talk about our team even more than the 2015 team.
The Blue Jays still need to prove they can win in October, as their last postseason victory came in 2016, but there’s a sense this group is ready. As Bo Bichette put it, “This is a special group of guys… This is a special moment.”
