Stroman glitters under bright lights
Good on Marcus Stroman for being named the World Baseball Classic MVP following one of the most sensational performances of his young career.
But be honest, if you have anything to do with the Blue Jays — fan, teammate, manager, ownership — the biggest question in the aftermath of the latest episode of the Stro Show is, what’s in it for you?
The answer? Possibly a fair bit as Stroman seems determined to be the ace on a Jays starting rotation full of like- minded hurlers and has plenty to build on after his breakthrough month of March.
Not that confidence has ever been an issue with the Jays right- hander, but his performance in the WBC has the fiery hurler in what sure looks like peak form.
Stroman’s masterpiece in the final on Wednesday night in Los Angeles — sparking the American’s 8- 0 cruise past Puerto Rico — was in stark contrast to the underwhelming interest in the event.
He was nothing short of sensational, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning as he rode a sinker that stymied batter after batter in the powerful Puerto Rican order. It was pure Stroman as well, with all the flashy intensity and on-field histrionics that has endeared him to Jays fans.
On an off day here on Florida’s gulf coast, Stroman was surely the talk of the teammates he will rejoin this weekend.
Before he left Dunedin for Miami and eventually California, where the later rounds of the WBC were contested, Stroman was all in on the Team USA experience, showing off his Stars and Stripes gear in the Jays’ clubhouse.
But now t hat he has brought the Puerto Rican hitters to their knees, it’s back to the team that pays him and to see if he can translate that success against the big bats of the AL East.
“I mean it’ s baseball, there’s no letdown,” Stroman said in his post- game news conference when asked about a potential regression following the WBC. “You go back to camp, get your work in and opening day ( is) in a week and a half.
“I pretty much take the same intensity into each and every game so I don’t think there is any such thing as a letdown.”
Not only did Stroman shut down a strong Puerto Rican lineup that had compiled a 7-0 record in the tournament, he was presumably an easy choice for tournament MVP.
Working low in the strike zone and with precision efficiency, he induced 11 ground ball outs in the title contest. Stroman didn’t allow a hit until Puerto Rico’s Angel Pagan opened the seventh with a double. Manager Jim Leyland relieved Stroman of his duties at that point and he exited to a standing ovation.
There may be some concern among Jays faithful that Leyland left Stroman in that long, but he only threw 73 pitches, well short of the tournament’s third-round max of 95. In fact, the workload may have been ideal to set him up for an opening day start if that’s what Jays management decides.
By comparison, Marco Estrada threw 72 pitches in his five innings of work on Wednesday here against the Tigers. Jays pitching coach Pete Walker has been gradually increasing the pitching counts of his starting staff and it would appear Stroman falls in line with that progress.
Prior to leaving Florida, he was sharp in his 4.2 innings of work over two appearances for the Jays and a tidy 1.93 earned run average.
While they will be impressed with the latest Stro show, it’s doubtful many of the Jays will be surprised. With a strong training camp a year ago, he earned the opening day starter role and Gibbons went to him for the AL wild card game against the Orioles in October.
“He’s the perfect guy for the perfect game,” Gibbons said. “There’s something about the kid. He rises to the occasion. If there’s one guy I’d want on the mound and know his heart and soul is going to be in it, it’s Stro.”
In his three WBC appearances, Stroman pitched 15 1/ 3 inning and had an ERA of 2.35. Because of the pitchcount restrictions, he was never going to get the no hitter in L.A. But it’s worth noting that the performance matched the longest no- hit flirtation of his career. Stroman also went six hitless innings against the Red Sox back in July 2014.
“I love pitching in these moments,” Stroman said in the aftermath of the WBC win. “I love the atmosphere. I feel like the bigger the game, they more I’m able to get up, the more effective I am.
“I truly try to pride myself on being a big-game pitcher.”
And the Jays are banking on more of the same.