The Toronto Blue Jays’ assignment for Sunday afternoon is clear when they face the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the regular season.
If the Blue Jays (93-68) win, they will finish first in the American League East. If they happen to stumble, a loss by the New York Yankees also would work for them.
Toronto and New York are tied atop the division, but the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker because they won the season series between the teams 8-5.
The Blue Jays won their third in a row on Saturday, 5-1 over the Rays (77-84) with rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage pitching five scoreless innings for his first win in his third career major league start.
“Really impressive for a 22-year-old who started the year in (Class A),” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “He showed us that he can pitch in big spots, and he enjoyed the moment a little bit. He made big pitches and picked up our defense.”
The Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 on Saturday to keep pace with Toronto but need help from Tampa Bay.
Toronto plans to entrust the potential clinching game to right-hander Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.47 ERA). Gausman is 8-9 with a 3.91 ERA in 25 career games (23 starts) against the Rays. He is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA against them in two starts this season.
The Rays are scheduled to start rookie left-hander Ian Seymour (4-2, 2.85). He allowed one unearned run over seven in innings on Sept. 17 against Toronto in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 home victory.
He will be facing a confident opponent.
“There has been confidence within this group, and myself and the coaching staff since Day 1,” Schneider said. “And now it comes down to one game to win the division. I think that if we focus on playing our game, we will be fine. We have been really good at that over 161 games, so I don’t expect it to change for 162.”
Infielder Ernie Clement, whose two-run double opened the scoring in a three-run second on Saturday, said, “There is no doubt in our minds that we can win a World Series.
“I think we have the pieces,” he added. “We have the mindset.”
Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk snapped an 0-for-24 drought with a home run in the seventh on Saturday.
Seymour, who made his major league debut on June 9, will be making his fifth start and 19th appearance.
“Looking back on the year and where I started and where I finished, being here is just something I’m so grateful for,” Seymour said. “I’m going to put everything I have into going into the offseason on a good note.”
Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda is looking forward to Sunday. He returned from a fractured left wrist on Friday to homer in his first at-bat and homered again on Saturday.
“It’s going to be really fun and enjoyable,” Aranda said. “The Blue Jays are playing playoff baseball right now. Same with the Yankees.”
Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz was 1-for-2 on Saturday and left the game with a .300 batting average. It is possible he will not play on Sunday.
Tampa Bay is three stolen bases short of matching the team record of 194 set in 2009.
“We have a team that was built with a lot of speed,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Our guys have done a good job of making better decisions on the bases than we have in the past.”
–Field Level Media
