Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Blue Jays' 2023 Season Comes to Crashing Close With Playoff Loss to Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — José Berríos could hardly watch, but he had to.
The Blue Jays right-hander paced up and down the road dugout, a hand on his hip. He occasionally popped onto the steps of the dugout or peered out at the action. But as the fourth inning dragged on, it was mostly pacing.
After carving up Minnesota's bats for three shutout frames, Berríos was pulled by Blue Jays manager John Schneider after a leadoff single in the fourth. As the Twins loaded the bases on his replacement, Berríos had to watch. As Minnesota plated two runs in the frame, Berríos had to watch. As the Blue Jays' 2023 season came to an end, Berríos had to watch.
"Right after they take me out, I felt bad because I wanted to keep going out there," Berríos said. "But then, I said 'we have to enjoy this,' we're here, we were still playing the sport that we love."
For the second season in a row, the Blue Jays had their backs against the wall in a Wild Card series. To keep afloat, they needed a win. José Berríos was seemingly tasked with dealing that result, getting the start against his former team in his former park.
Delivering he was, carving through Minnesota's bats for three innings. Berríos allowed just three hits, all singles, and struck out five batters. The sinker was spotted, the slurve was earning the chase he needed. And then, Schneider took two strides up the dugout steps, began a slow walk out to the mound, and shot up his left arm, signaling for Yusei Kikuchi from the bullpen.
For the next six innings, Berríos was right there with every Blue Jays fan — helplessly watching.
"You can sit here and second-guess me, second-guess the organization, second-guess anybody," Schneider said after the game. "I get that. I get that. And it's tough. And it didn't work out for us today or yesterday. But that's baseball sometimes."
Berríos was one of many Jays players who stared out from the dugout as Sonny Gray spun on the mound in the sixth. The Twins starter, who kept Toronto's tally at zero for his five innings of work, fired a pick-off to Carlos Correa at second base. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr., representing the tying run, started back to the bag, it was already too late. Correa caught the throw, applied the tag, and thrust his fist in the air. Guerrero Jr. lay on the dirt for a moment, incorrectly signally to the Blue Jays dugout he was, in fact, safe.
Despite the pitching change gone south, the runners left on, and the crushing pick-off, the Blue Jays still had life in the sixth. A Santiago Espinal pinch-hit dribbler loaded up the bases with one out for Matt Chapman. Toronto's hot corner had the platoon edge against a lefty and a big hit would've tied the game. There was hope, especially when Chapman sent a screaming liner out to left field.
The ball sailed past the infield, curving to the left. By the time it touched grass, the liner had curved just a hair too much, falling just foul. On the next pitch, Chapman grounded into an inning-ending double play. It may have well have been a season-ending double play. The Blue Jays didn't manage a run all game.
For the second year in a row, Toronto's season came to a crashing close in cataclysmic fashion. Last year, it was the blown lead. This year, the pitching-change gamble and missed opportunities on offense.
The Game 2 loss pushed Toronto's playoff losing streak to seven, dating back to the 2016 ALCS. For this Blue Jays core, it's three straight series sweeps — 2020 vs Tampa Bay, 2022 vs Seattle, and 2023 vs Minnesota.
If learning how to lose is a prerequisite to winning, the Jays are now bountifully equipped. They'll have to use those lessons next year, though, because Toronto's 2023 season is over.
"It's tough," Chris Bassitt said after the loss. "We just got to get better in a lot of ways."
