© Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
'An Amazing Feeling': Jackson Beaming After Blue Jays Call-up
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PITTSBURGH — At this point in his career, Jay Jackson isn't complicating things or stressing himself out. In fact, the 35-year-old has been a beacon of positivity from the moment he got called up.
He’s stoked to be back in the big leagues — the righty pointed out the beauty of PNC Park in Pittsburgh — and is motivated by the opportunity to lend a hand to his younger Blue Jays teammates. But most importantly for all parties involved, Jackson joins Toronto at a time when he’s needed most.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Jackson told reporters Friday after being recalled from Triple-A. "So it's just an amazing feeling."
The Blue Jays bullpen is tired and banged up after working 19 innings over a taxing five-game losing streak. The club got more bad news Friday when Zach Pop hit the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain. So, enter Jackson, the longtime minor-league arm with a fiery fastball in the mid-90s and a wipeout slider. The Blue Jays liked what they saw from him in spring training, and now they’ll count on the Greensville, South Carolina native for some late-inning life.
"Slider execution, striking guys out — he was really good," manager John Schneider said of Jackson’s spring sample.
A couple of bad innings have skewed Jackson’s Triple-A ERA (5.91), though he still generated a 15:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10.2 innings with Buffalo this season. He also had multiple outings where he recorded four outs or more, and Schneider said Jackson would be a multi-inning option with Toronto.
While the Jays ultimately released Jackson this spring after he didn’t crack the MLB roster, the reliever said there was never a lack of mutual interest. The Blue Jays described the transaction as a "business" decision, Jackson said, where the club said they liked his stuff but just didn’t have room for his talents.
"The amount of love and respect and honesty [the Blue Jays] showed me, I wanted to be here just as much as they wanted me here," Jackson said.
A seed was planted, and four days after getting cut, Jackson agreed to a new deal with Toronto. Nearing the end of his career, he saw the Jays as a vessel to help fulfill a dream.
"I saw the moves [Toronto] made; I saw it as a championship team they have here, and I want to be a part of it," Jackson said. "I told them my only goal and the only thing I feel like I'm missing from my resume really is a World Series. And this is a team I feel like can accomplish that [with]."
Before this club can dream of a World Series, it’ll need to snap a nasty five-game cold spell. The bullpen has been on the hook for three of those losses, so Jackson hopes he can help the relief core stick together as it wades through an ugly stretch.
"[Jays pitchers] were dominating for two weeks and all of a sudden get hit in the mouth by Boston," he said. "And you just keep telling yourself that it's baseball; it's got to even out. These guys are amazing — look at the staff we have from front to back."
Over a 162-game regular season, you’ve got to take your lumps – Jackson knows that and he'll happily relay the message. After being drafted by the Cubs in 2008, Jackson’s slogged through 944.2 minor-league innings for eight organizations; he’s dabbled in Mexico and Japan before eventually clawing back for 25 major-league innings over the last two seasons.
During Jackson's long career, he's grown as a player and person, but he knows how quickly baseball can leave you behind. With that in mind, he’ll absorb every day in the big leagues, whether sunny or cloudy, while he still has the chance.
"I’m just grateful to be here," Jackson said.
