Just picture it: it’s the top of the ninth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays are holding a slim 2-1 lead over the New York Yankees. Up to bat is Derek Jeter with Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez on deck. Cito Gaston, in order to shut the door on the game and the series gets on the phone and brings in the big gun, Pedro Luis Lazo, winner of two Olympic Gold medals with Cuba and current closer of the Blue Jays. And even if he gives up a run its okay, because leading off the bottom of the ninth for the Jays is Alexei Bell, who hit 30 HR with 100 RBI with Santiago del Cuba last year.

Sound impossible? Maybe not.

MLB teams, through the United States trade embargo with Cuba, are not allowed to import Cuban citizens onto their teams unless the players manage to escape the country and claim refugee status. While this has prevented such players as Jose Contreras from playing in their prime and currently prevents players like hitting whiz Bell from ever stepping foot on Fenway Park dirt.

Continue reading "Part Time Jays: How to add a little Latin Flavour to the Big Club"

To compete, a baseball team needs pitching and defense. An old adage maybe, but it exists for a reason. A team that continuously gives up runs ends up yanking their starters early in games and taxes their bullpen, lessening their effectiveness over time and thereby compounding the problem over the season. Ironically, trying to keep games close hurts the team in the long run. But with one of the best fielding percentages and team ERA’s in the league, the Toronto Blue Jays are competing.

In the end, however, the best pitching and defense can ever do is keep you in a game long enough for your offence to pull you out. After all, it’s impossible to win a game 0-0 (although the Dodgers proved this season that you can win without a hit).

More than simple offense, in the modern era of baseball, for a team to make the World Series it needs a home run threat.

Continue reading "Why the Jays won't compete: the importance of the late inning long ball"