Stroman has Rogers Centre rockin’
Gives up just one run over seven innings in first home start in more than a year
Marcus Stroman had six months to consider his warm-up song for Friday’s highly anticipated homecoming, so it’s no accident the Blue Jays right-hander settled on “Miss Me,” the five-year-old Drake hit, in which the song’s protagonist hopes he was missed during a long absence.
The lyrics must have been too perfect to resist:
Drizzy back up in this thang, I’m ready Whats happenin’? Gone for surgery but now I’m back again
I’m bout my paper like a (expletive) scratch n’ win
World Series attitude, champagne bottle life.
Wearing No. 6 in his return to The Six, Stroman — who last started at the Rogers Centre when he threw a complete-game shutout on Sept. 8, 2014 — made his first home start of the season Friday night, leading the Jays to 6-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the first game of Toronto’s final home stand of the season.
With the win and a Yankees loss against the Mets, the Jays extend their lead atop the American League East to 4 1⁄ games and now trail the
2 Kansas City Royals — who lost 5-4 in 12 innings to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night — for top spot in the American League by just one game.
Friday was Stroman’s second start of the season following his unexpected return from what was once believed to be season-ending knee surgery to repair the left ACL he tore in spring training. More than three hours before Friday’s game, the energetic 24-year-old was bounding around the clubhouse with his headphones on.
Before he even threw his first pitch he had the soldout crowd of 47,126 on its feet and cheering.
“I had the chills from that point on,” he said afterward.
Wearing a backwards cap embroidered with the word “Stroshow,” the Long Island native said he “loves” pitching at the Rogers Centre.
“When the roof’s open, man, it’s my favourite place to be,” he said. “I don’t want to be anywhere else. It’s special. I love being here. I love the city and I feel like I just thrive off everyone’s energy.”
On Friday night, Stroman did not disappoint the Jays faithful. He looked even better than in his stellar, rain-shortened debut last weekend in New York.
“The more times he goes out there he’s going to really round into form the way we’ve seen him in the past,” manager John Gibbons said.
Stroman held the Red Sox to just one run and gave up six singles — zero extra-base hits — over seven strong innings; he allowed just one ball to leave the infield.
Like all Toronto starters not named David Price, Stroman will spend the final 21⁄ weeks of the season com
2 peting for a spot in a post-season rotation, which will only need four starting pitchers. But given how has looked in his first two starts and barring a setback related to his knee, Stroman could be slotted in right behind Price.
Stroman once again used his sinker to great effect on Friday evening, earning 13 of his 21 outs on ground balls, which is a credit both to the pitch he picked up and perfected just last season, as well as the defence behind him.
The team’s Troy Tulowitzki-less middle-infield duo of Ryan Goins and Cliff Pennington combined for a pair of double plays on Friday night, while Josh Donaldson — who leads all third basemen this season in fielded plays deemed “remote” by Inside Edge scouting — and Goins both made highlight-reel, leaping grabs to steal would-be hits away from the Red Sox.
“I trust them,” Stroman said of his infielders.
“I trust them wholeheartedly.”