TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
WILD LIFE: The Blue Jays wrapped up the regular season with an 89-73 record, 3rd place in the AL East…Claimed the 3rd AL Wild Card spot, entering the postseason as a Wild Card for the 2nd straight year and the 4th time overall…Have gone 1-4 in Wild Card contests all-time…Lost both games vs. Seattle last season and dropped both contests in Tampa Bay in 2020…Won the one-game playoff vs. Baltimore in 2016.
GAUS FOR EXCITEMENT: Kevin Gausman gets the start for Game 1 today, his 3rd career playoff start (8th game)…Set a career high this season with 237 strikeouts (227 in 2021)…Were the most in the AL, behind only Spencer Strider (281) for the MLB lead, and 4th most in a single season in team history. The righty also ranked 1st in the AL in K rate (31.1%) and SO/9 (11.53) while finishing 4th in ERA (3.16), 6th in SO/BB (4.31), 10th in innings pitched (185.0), and 11th in WHIP (1.18)…Topped all AL pitchers with a 5.3 fWAR…Threw 100+ pitches on 18 occasions, tied with Blake Snell for the most in MLB.
FEELING GEORGEOUS LATELY: George Springer played in 154 games this year, his 2nd-highest total for a single season (162 in 2016)… Over his last 49 games, batted .284 (56-for-197) with 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, eight homers, 30 RBI, and 22 walks (.815 OPS)…His 30 hits in Sept./Oct. tied for 7th most in the AL. The outfielder has batted .270 (72-for-267) with 34 extra-base hits, 38 RBI, and 31 walks over his 65
career playoff games (.889 OPS)…His 19 career postseason home runs are tied with Albert Pujols for 5th most all-time.
ONE NOTCH AT A TIME: Brandon Belt homered three times in his last four games of the season, giving him 19 dingers for the year, the 2nd most of his careeer (29 in 2021)…Went 29-for-101 (.287) with 23 runs scored, five doubles, 11 home runs, 17 RBI, and 18 walks over his last 30 contests (.400 OBP, 1.063 OPS)…His 1.063 OPS and .663 SLG from Aug. 1 to the end of the season was the best among AL hitters while he ranked T-8th in OBP (min. 100 PA)…His 4.45 pitches/PA this season topped all MLB batters (min. 300 PA)…His walk rate of 6.62 PA/BB was 5th highest in the AL.
BO KNOWS BASE HITS: Bo Bichette recorded 175 hits this season, 4th most among AL batters, despite missing 25 games over two IL stints…His 77 opposite-field hits led the Majors (2nd: Luis Arraez – 66)…Finished 3rd in the AL with a .306 batting average…Tied with Julio Rodríguez for the most games with 4+ hits in the AL at six, tied for 3rd with 15 games with 3+ hits, and tied for 4th with 52 multi-hit games this season.
ROAD READY: The Blue Jays put together a 46-35 road record this season for a .568 win%, tied for 3rd best in the AL (T-5th in MLB)…The 46 road wins were the 2nd most in a season in team history (47 in 1993)…Held a better road record than home record for the first time since 2003. Blue Jays hitters ranked 2nd among AL clubs with a .334 road OBP while sitting 3rd in road batting average (.263), road SLG (.431), and road OPS (.765)…The pitching staff finished 2nd in the AL in road ERA (3.88), 9th in road opponents’ average (.252), and 10th in road WHIP (1.28).
WELCOME TO THE VAR-SHOW: Daulton Varsho played in a career-high 158 games and reached the 20-homer mark for the 2nd time in his career…Recorded an MLB-high 29 defensive runs saved this season (2nd: Fernando Tatis Jr. – 27)… His 18 DRS in center tied for 2nd most among center fielders while his 11 DRS in left were 3rd most among left fielders.
PITCHING IN: Toronto pitchers combined for a 3.78 ERA in 2023, 2nd best in the AL behind Seattle’s 3.74 mark (4th in MLB)…The 3.78 ERA was 7th best in team history and the club’s best since 2016 (3.78)…Recorded a franchise-record 1,528 strikeouts (1,468 in 2021) which was good for 2nd most in MLB this season (1st: MIN – 1,560)…Ranked 6th in the AL in opponents’ batting average (.241) and 7th in WHIP (1.25)…The rotation combined for 70 quality starts, tied for 3rd most in the AL (T-5th in MLB)
BINARY RESULTS: The Blue Jays kept opponents to one or no runs on an MLB-high 42 occasions this season (2nd: LAD – 36)…The 42 contests set a club record, besting the 40 such efforts in 1991.
THE D-JAYS: The Blue Jays kept a .988 fielding percentage this season (4th in the AL)…Made just one error over their final 12 contests…Played 107 error-free games in 2023, the most in team history (103 in 1990). According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders recorded a total of 82 Defensive Runs Saved, the most in the Majors (2nd: MIL – 68)…The group is led by an MLB-high 36 runs saved in center field, twice as many as any other team (2nd: PHI – 18).
VS. THE TWINS: All-Time: 233-183
2023: 3-3 Road: 113-99
Road: 2-1 Target Field: 29-17
The Blue Jays are meeting the Twins in the postseason for the 2nd time…Were ousted by Minnesota in five games during the 1991 ALCS…Split their six games with the Twins during the 2023 regular season while winning two of the three games at Target Field. George Springer went 10-for-22 (.455) with six doubles, an RBI, and three walks while recording hits in all six games vs. Minnesota this season (.520 OBP, .727 SLG)…Has batted .310 (58-for-187) with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, and 35 RBI across 48 career meetings (.993 OPS). Bo Bichette went 9-for-27 (.333) with a triple, two homers, and seven RBI in the six games against the Twins this year…Has hit .310 (27-for-87) with 11 extra-base hits and 16 RBI over 20 career contests vs. MIN (.881 OPS). Whit Merrifield leads all current Blue Jays with 110 games played vs. the Twins…Has batted .298 (134- for-449) with 34 doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 48 RBI along the way (.769 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Kevin Gausman, RHP #34
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 8th career postseason appearance (3rd start) and his 2nd in a Blue Jays uniform…Started Game 2 of last season’s Wild Card Series at Rogers Centre against the Mariners, giving up 4 runs over 5.2 innings with 5 hits, a walk, and 7 strikeouts. Named an All-Star for the 2nd time in his career (also: 2021). His career-high 237 strikeouts were the most in the AL (2nd: Pablo López – 234), and are the 4th most ever by a Blue Jay in a single season (Roger Clemens – 292 in 1997, Roger Clemens – 271 in 1998, Robbie Ray – 248 in 2021). also ranked 1st in the AL in K rate (31.1%) and SO/9 (11.53) while finishing 4th in ERA (3.16), 6th in SO/BB (4.31), 10th in innings pitched (185.0), and 11th in WHIP (1.18)…Topped all AL pitchers with a 5.3 fWAR…Threw 100+ pitches on 18 occasions, tied with Blake Snell for the most in MLB. Has struck out at least 200 batters in each of the last 3 seasons, one of five Major Leaguers to do so (Burnes, Cease, Cole, Nola). Owns a 2.84 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, the best mark among qualified hurlers (2nd: Corbin Burnes – 2.85).
2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Picked up his 11th win of the year on 9/9 vs. KC, throwing 8.0 frames of one-run ball with 2 hits, a walk, and 10 strikeouts…Was his AL-leading 8th start with double-digit strikeouts. Earned his 10th win of the year on 8/28 vs. WAS, giving up 3 runs over 5.0 innings (7H, 2BB, 7K)…Became the 3rd pitcher in team history with back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons, joining Roger Clemens (1997-1998) and Roy Halladay (2008-2009). Took the loss on 6/27 vs. SF, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 12 strikeouts…Fanned LaMonte Wade Jr. in the 4th inning to reach 1,500 career strikeouts, becoming the 21st active player to reach the mark…Was his MLB-leading 7th double-digit strikeout game of 2023. Pitched 7.0 frames of one-run ball on 6/6 vs. HOU, scattering 4 hits with no walks and a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts (also: 13K on 4/29/23 vs. SEA)…Became the 4th player (8th time) in franchise history to punch out at least 13 batters without any walks in a single game (last: José Berríos on 7/12/22 vs. PHI). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 4/29 vs. SEA, giving up 5 hits with a walk and a career-high 13 strikeouts…Threw a then season-high 108 pitches (74 strikes) while inducing a career-high 28 swing-and-misses…Got 20 whiffs on his splitter alone, the most on a single pitch in the Majors this season, and the most on a splitter in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
VS. THE TWINS:
Facing the Twins for the 3rd time this season and the 12th time in his career…In his last 3 trips to Target Field, has posted a 2.20 ERA (4 ER/16.1 IP) with 18 strikeouts, giving up no more than 3 runs in any start
MINNESOTA TWINS NOTES:
THE TWINS: Finished their 63rd season in Minnesota with a record of 87-75, winning the AL Central on September 22…they finished 9.0 games ahead of Detroit (78-84)…it marked their ninth AL Central title in club history (2002, ’03, ’04, ’06, ’09, ’10, ’19 & ’20)…prior to the current divisional alignment, the Twins won the AL West division four times (1969, ’70, ’87 & ’91). The Twins last appeared in the Postseason in 2020 and hosted the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Series, getting swept in two games by scores of 1-4 and 1-3.
SECOND SEASON: The Twins are playing in the Postseason for the 15th time in their history… below are the results from previous Postseasons (since 1961):
YEAR CLINCHED FINISHED YEAR CLINCHED FINISHED
1965….AL (102-60) ……Lost 4-3 to LAD in WS 2006 …AL-C (96-66)… Swept in 3 by OAK in ALDS
1969….AL-W (97-65)….Swept in 3 by BAL in ALCS 2009 …AL-C (87-76)… Swept in 3 by NYY in ALDS
1970….AL-W (98-64)….Swept in 3 by BAL in ALCS 2010 …AL-C (94-68)… Swept in 3 by NYY in ALDS
1987….AL-W (85-77)….Beat STL 4-3 in WS 2017 …AL-WC (85-77) Lost 8-4 in 1 game at NYY
1991….AL-W (95-67)….Beat ATL 4-3 in WS 2019 …AL-C (101-61). Swept in 3 by NYY in ALDS
2002….AL-C (94-67)…..Lost 4-1 to ANA in ALCS* 2020 …AL-C (36-34)… Swept in 2 by HOU in ALWCS
2003….AL-C (90-72)…..Lost 3-1 to NYY in ALDS 2023 …AL-C (87-75)… – –
2004….AL-C (92-70)…..Lost 3-1 to NYY in ALDS**
*Twins last Postseason series win came in five games over Oakland in the 2002 ALDS.
**Twins last Postseason win came in Game 1 on October 5, 2004 at New York (Santana/Mussina).
ALSO: The Twins enter today with an 18-game Postseason losing streak, the longest in baseball history.
WIN-NESOTA: The Twins finished the regular season with a home record of 47-34 (.580), the fourth-most home wins in the AL and eighth most in baseball…after the All-Star break, they went 21-12 at Target Field for a .636 winning percentage, trailing only Texas (.639 — 23-13) for highest home win % in the AL in that span…Minnesota’s 47 wins at Target Field this season were the third most in the Target Field era (since 2010), trailing their totals from 2010 (53-28) and 2018 (49-32). Twins are 16-19 all-time in Minnesota during the Postseason, going 3-4 at Met Stadium, 13-10 at the Metrodome and 0-5 at Target Field…their last playoff win in Minnesota came in a 2-1 victory over the Angels at the Dome in Game 1 of the 2002 ALCS on October 8.
NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Twins and Blue Jays are playing in a Postseason series for the second time in their history…these two met in the 1991 ALCS as the Twins went 4-1, splitting two games at the Metrodome, then winning three-straight at the SkyDome (Rogers Centre) and advanced to win their second World Championship in seven games against Atlanta. The Twins went 3-3 against the Blue Jays during the regular season, losing a three-game series 1-2 at Target Field from May 26-28 and winning a three-game series 2-1 at Rogers Centre from June 9-11. The Twins have gone 22-18 against the Blue Jays since 2017. Carlos Correa is hitting .311 (33-for-106) with six doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBI and a .958 OPS in 27 career regular and Postseason games vs. the Jays…has reached safely in 12 straight vs. Toronto and in 25 of his 27 career regular and Postseason games. Jorge Polanco is hitting .299 (41-for-137) with nine doubles, five home runs, 17 RBI, 17 walks and an .851 OPS in 35 career games vs. the Jays…he has reached safely in nine straight vs. Toronto…Polo’s .299 average is his third best vs. any AL opponent (Seattle – .317 and Houston – .322).
THE HEART BEAT: Twins starters combined to go 49-45, 3.82 ERA (895.0 IP, 380 ER) with 223 walks, 970 strikeouts and a .240 opponent batting average…below are Twins starting pitching ranks among MLB teams during the regular season:
INNINGS QS OBP K/BB FIP WHIP K’s OPS
SEA – 901.1 MIN – 76 SEA – .288 MIN – 4.35 TB – 3.61 SEA – 1.14 MIN – 970 TB – .684
HOU – 900.0 SD – 75 TB – .289 TB – 4.11 MIN – 3.73 MIN – 1.16 TOR – 922 MIL – .691
PHI – 899.0 SEA – 74 MIN – .291 SEA – 4.08 SEA – 3.93 MIL – 1.17 ATL- 874 SEA – .694
MIN – 895.0 CHC – 71 MIL – .292 SF – 3.84 SF – 4.06 TB – 1.17 CWS – 873 MIN – .695
TOR – 894.2 3 tied – 70 DET – .300 PHI – 3.42 PHI – 4.07 PHI – 1.22 SD – 870 SD – .700
NOTE: The Twins 970 strikeouts from their starters set a new club record and ranks 14th on baseball’s all-time list for a single season…additionally, the Twins’ staff recorded and MLB-best 1,560 strikeouts this season, also setting a club record and landing in a tie for 15th most in baseball history.
SECOND HALF SURGE: Below are the offensive numbers and MLB ranks pre-All-Star break vs. post-All-Star break:
AVG R/G H HR BB OBP SLG OPS TB K%
PRE: .232 (25) 4.2 (24) 708 (22) 115 (8) 297 (16) .309 (25) .400 (20) .709 (22) 1219 (20) .167 (10)
POST: .257 (7) 5.6 (4) 627 (7) 118 (3) 297 (1) .346 (4) .462 (3) .808 (3) 1127 (5) .205 (3)
ROCTOBER: Rocco Baldelli has a career managerial record of 375-333 (.530) since being named the Twins skipper prior to the 2019 season…his .530 winning percentage is the second best in Twins history (minimum 400 games), trailing only Sam Mele, who had a managerial win percentage of .548 (522-431) from 1961-67…Baldelli has managed the Twins to an AL Central title three times (2019, ’20 & ’23) in five seasons (since 2019). since being named manager in 2019, only three other AL managers have won more games than Rocco: Kevin Cash (421-287), Aaron Boone (409-299) and Terry Francona (376-332).
POST-CC-SON: In 79 career Postseason games, Carlos Correa has hit .272 (82-for-301) with 16 doubles, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, 37 runs scored, 30 walks, a .344 on-base percentage and an .849 OPS…in three Wild Card Series games, he is 3-for-10, including a home run against the Twins in Game 2 of the 2020 ALWCS for Houston at Target Field…he ranks sixth on baseball’s all-time Postseason list in RBI, trailing Bernie Williams (80), Manny Ramirez (78), David Justice (63), Derek Jeter (61) and David Ortiz (61)…additionally, his 18 career Postseason home runs are tied for seventh most all-time…his last Postseason game came on November 2, 2021 as the Braves defeated the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: The Twins led baseball with the most rookies to post an OPS+ of over 120 in Edouard Julien (130), Matt Wallner (139) and Royce Lewis (150)…the last team to have three rookies to post an OPS+ of at least 120 was the 1930 St. Louis Cardinals: George Fisher (138), Gus Mancuso (126) and George Watkins (141)…Lewis was named Sept. AL Rookie of the Month earlier today. The Twins have never had three rookies in the starting lineup for a Postseason game…the only time the Twins have had three rookie position players play in the same Postseason game was October 14, 1965 in Game 7 of the World Series vs. the Dodgers (Joe Nossek, Frank Quilici and Sandy Valdespino).
POSTSEASON CRED: Of the 28 players on the roster, 16 have appeared in a Postseason game…pitchers (6): Sonny Gray, Pablo López, Kenta Maeda, Chris Paddack, Emilio Pagán and Caleb Thielbar…catchers (2): Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez…infielders (4): Carlos Correa, Kyle Farmer, Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano…outfielders (4): Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, Andrew Stevenson and Michael A. Taylor.
STARTING PITCHER – #49 PABLO LóPEZ 2023: 11-8, 3.66
Making his second career Postseason start, first with Minnesota…only other Postseason start was with Miami on October 7, 2020 at Atlanta in Game 2 of National League Division Series. Facing Toronto for the second time this season and third time in career…earned the win on May 27 vs. the Blue Jays in a 9-7 Twins’ win at Target Field (5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R/ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K). Acquired by the Twins from Miami on January 20, 2023, along with infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, in exchange for infielder/outfielder Luis Arraez.
POSTSEASON PABLO: Making his second career Postseason start today…started for Miami in Game 2 of the 2020 National League Division Series at Atlanta, taking the loss in a 2-0 Marlins’ defeat… pitched 5.0 innings and allowed two runs on three hits (2 HR), with no walks and seven strikeouts… yielded solo home runs to Dansby Swanson (2nd inning) and Travis d’Arnaud (4th inning)…today is his first Postseason start with the Twins and first at home. López will be the fourth pitcher in club history (1961-) to start the Twins’ Postseason opener in his first season with Minnesota, joining Jack Morris (Game 1 of 1991 ALCS vs. Toronto), Brian Duensing (Game 1 of 2009 ALDS at New York-AL) and teammate Kenta Maeda (Game 1 of 2020 ALWCS vs. Houston).
CAREER YEAR: Here are López’s 2023 numbers and how they ranked among qualified American League starters (* denotes single-season career best):
STATISTIC LÓPEZ’s #s AL RANK
Strikeouts……………………………………………… 234* ………………………………………………………….. 2nd
Quality Starts…………………………………………. 20* ………………………………………………………….T-3rd
WAR………………………………………………………. 4.8* …………………………………………………………….5th
Innings Pitched…………………………………….. 194.0* …………………………………………………………..5th
FIP………………………………………………………… 3.33 …………………………………………………………….6th
REELIN’ IN THE STRIKEOUTS: Ranked second in the American League with a career-high 234 strikeouts this year; trailed only Kevin Gausman (237), his counterpart in today’s game…marked the highest single-season strikeout total by a Twin since Johan Santana struck out 235 in 2007…tied with Dean Chance’s 1968 season for the seventh-most strikeouts by a Twin in club history (since 1961); only Santana (4 times) and Bert Blyleven (twice) have totaled more strikeouts in a single season for Minnesota…López’s 10.86 strikeouts-per-9.0-innings ratio in 2023 was the highest single-season ratio in Twins history (1961-) among qualified pitchers.
LÓ VS. TORONTO: Facing Toronto for the second time this season and third time in his career…earned the win on May 27 vs. the Blue Jays at Target Field; pitched 5.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits (2 HR), with three walks and six strikeouts in the Twins’ 9-7 victory…allowed solo home runs to Bo Bichette (1st inning) and Cavan Biggio (4th inning)…also yielded a two-run triple to Bichette in the third inning…issued a two-out walk to Whit Merrifield in the sixth inning and was relieved by Jovani Moran, who held Minnesota’s 7-4 lead…Twins added two insurance runs and hung on to win the second game of the three game series. Only other start vs. Toronto was with Miami on June 2, 2021 at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, taking a no-decision in a 6-5 Marlins’ loss (4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 9 K). Notable Blue Jays hitters vs. López: Brandon Belt – 3-for-12 (.250), 1 HR; Kevin Kiermaier – 3-for-8 (.375), 1 HR; Bo Bichette – 2-for-5 (.400), 1 3B, 1 HR.
BAKER’S DOZEN, COMING IN HOT: In his last 13 starts since July 20, López went 6-3 with a 2.79 ERA (77.1 IP, 24 ER), 15 walks and 89 strikeouts…recorded nine quality starts in that span and pitched 6.0-or-more innings in 10 of the 13 starts…Twins went 8-5 in his last 13 starts and gained 7.0 games in the American League Central standings in that span…ranked tied for second in strikeouts and tied for eighth in ERA (min. 10 GS) among AL pitchers from July 20 through the end of the regular season.
ON TARGET: López went 5-3, 4.21 ERA (98.1 IP, 46 ER) with 25 walks and 123 strikeouts in 16 home starts this year…Twins went 11-5 in his 16 starts at Target Field…here are his numbers in his last eight home starts since July 5 and how they rank among American League pitchers at home in that span (min. 8 GS):
STATISTIC LAST 8 HOME GS AL HOME RANK
ERA ………………………………………………………. 2.63 …………………………………………………………… 1st
Innings Pitched………………………………………. 51.1 …………………………………………………………… 3rd
Walks-per-9.0 Innings……………………………… 1.58 …………………………………………………………… 3rd
Strikeouts-per-9.0 Innings………………………. 11.05 ………………………………………………………….. 3rd
WHIP……………………………………………………… 1.07 …………………………………………………………… 3rd
PITCH BREAKDOWN: Used a five-pitch mix in the regular season, per Baseball Savant…primarily used his sweeper and sinker against right-handed hitters, favoring his changeup and curveball against left-handed hitters…threw 33 sweepers on May 27 vs. Toronto (37.5% usage), his most in any start this season…here is a look at his 2023 arsenal:
PITCH (AVG. MPH) PCT. (# OF PITCHES, VS. RHB/LHB) RESULTS
4-Seam Fastball (94.9)………….34.5% (1,043 pitches, 447/596).. .268 (62-for-231), 13 2B, 11 HR, 86 K Sweeper (84.4)…………………….. 21.4% (646 pitches, 443/203).. .173 (26-for-150), 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 57 K Changeup (88.4)…………………..21.1% (638 pitches, 226/412).. .257 (47-for-183), 6 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 45 K Curveball (82.5)……………………. 12.5% (377 pitches, 95/282) … .202 (19-for-94), 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 39 K Sinker (94.5) ………………………….10.6% (320 pitches, 312/8)……. .278 (22-for-79), 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 K
Ranked in the 95th percentile in baseball with a career-high 34.3 chase percentage this year, per Baseball Savant…also ranked in the 94th percentile with a career-low 2.98 xERA.
MR. RIGHT: Limited right-handed hitters to a .205 (75-for-365) batting average this year… his 130 strikeouts against righties were the sixth most in the American League in 2023 and his .205 opponent batting average vs. righties ranked eighth in the AL (min. 20 GS)…Toronto righties went 3-for-14 with one triple, one home run (B. Bichette) and five strikeouts against him on May 27 at Target Field…left-handed hitters batted .271 (101-for-373) against him in 2023, with Toronto lefties going 2-for-7 with one home run (C. Biggio) and one strikeout off him on May 27.
