Jays lose finale, hold first place
‘We’re in a better spot than we’ve been in a long time,’ manager says
John Gibbons was leaning back in the swivel chair behind his desk. Both of the black leather couches in his office were filled with visitors, as were the three office chairs and the spare floor space near the door. His audience numbered more than a dozen.
That popularity was rooted in possibility. Someone asked the Toronto Blue Jays manager when he thought he might finally feel excited by where his team stood in the standings. “About three weeks ago,” he said. Chuckles circled the room. “It’s the truth,” Gibbons said. “Since I’ve been here, yeah, it’s pretty good.”
The Blue Jays had been leading the AL East for 34 straight days, their longest solo run at the top since 1993, back when meaningful things used to happen at Rogers Centre. As he spoke, Toronto was 2.5 games ahead of the second-place Baltimore Orioles and 3.5 clear of the New York Yankees, with a chance to sweep a series on Wednesday night.
They missed that chance, falling 5-3 at home, but they still won the series, and still hold the division lead.
“They’re feeling good about themselves out there,” Gibbons said before the game. “We liked this team last year, but we didn’t play good enough.”
Last year, feeling helped the Blue Jays sell memorabilia on a wave of optimism. It helped them warm seats that had been cold and empty at Rogers Centre. Feeling — based on the off-season acquisition of marquee names such as R.A. Dickey and Jose Reyes — did not, however, help the team win any more games or avoid finishing last in the division.
Gibbons did not articulate how the feeling this year has helped, whether it gives players a boost in the box or a sharper sense in the field. But he did not downplay it. The feeling in the dugout — a nebulous, unquantifiable presence like “grit” or “heart” in hockey — was presented as an asset, a building block to something. “You can feel a little more enthusiasm.”
Last year, when Reyes was hurt and Dickey struggled, he said the downfall created what felt like “shock” around the clubhouse.
“You’ve got to learn how to win,” Gibbons said. “I think we’re figuring that out.”
There are challenges. The Blue Jays are waist-deep in injuries, some more serious than others. Jose Bautista sat out a third straight game with a sore hamstring on Wednesday, while Brett Lawrie (finger) remained on the disabled list. Adam Lind (foot) and Edwin Encarnacion (head, neck) were hurt a night earlier, but just not badly enough to sit out.
“There’s still such a long way to go,” Gibbons had conceded earlier. “But we’re in a better spot than we’ve been in a long time.”