Twenty-two years after the Toronto Blue Jays captured a division title en route to winning the World Series, the franchise took a momentous step toward replicating the feat with a 15-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Toronto’s margin of victory was the third largest ever in a division clincher as it secured an AL East title for the first time since 1993.
The Blue Jays cruised thanks to a lights-out performance from Marcus Stroman on the mound, as the right-handed ace notched his fourth win of the season by striking out eight and allowing just five hits over eight innings.
“You’re on the road, but it felt like a home game,” Stroman said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). “I thought the majority of the stadium was Blue Jays fans. So that just goes to show how excited people are to take the trip down from the North to see us clinch. It’s been special.”
Stroman tweeted out a statement to Blue Jays fans following the team’s afternoon triumph:
Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star passed along video of Josh Donaldson soaking things up after Toronto dropped the second half of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader, 8-1:
Blue Jays great Carlos Delgado joined the celebration and sent his former team a congratulatory message after it snapped a drought that spanned more than two decades:
Major League Baseball followed up with a scene from Baltimore that summed up the feelings of long-suffering Toronto supporters:
Beyond the historic implications of Toronto’s division title, the way the Blue Jays rebounded following early-season struggles was truly remarkable.
As ESPN Stats & Info noted, Toronto started the season 45-46 before going on a 47-19 tear that was facilitated by trade-deadline acquisitions of Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Ben Revere, Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins, who recorded the final out of the division-clincher.
“It still feels like a dream, to be honest with you,” Stroman said, per the Canadian Press (via Sportsnet.ca). “How everything played out from the beginning of this season and being in this position to help my team clinch, it’s been a journey, it’s been a special ride. I’m just thankful for everybody who helped me get to this point.”
Now that they’ve secured the division title following an improbable run, the Blue Jays can focus their attention on squashing American League competition as they try to capture the franchise’s first World Series berth since 1993.
And given the rate at which manager John Gibbons’ club has torched opponents over the past two months, Toronto should be considered the favorite to emerge from the postseason with an AL pennant in tow.
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