© Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
'Call Him Bob Ross': Stripling’s Gem Sets up Cathartic Blue Jays’ Win
TORONTO — Back from Buffalo after one solid rehab start, Ross Stripling took the mound for the Blue Jays’ series finale versus the Orioles.
There had been bad vibes at the ballpark all week. The hangover from a weekend series loss to the Guardians lingered, and Toronto was in the hole 2-0 in its current series against Baltimore. During this six-game homestand, the Rogers Centre crowd was the quietest it’s been all year.
Amid all the doom and gloom that’s shaded this Jays squad in August, Stripling, the unlikeliest of heroes, stepped up in a big way during the Jays’ 6-1 win.
The glute strain was clearly a thing of the past, as Stripling sizzled through the first inning on just six pitches. The right-hander’s changeup—his new put-away tool—was pristine yet again, picking up six whiffs on 17 pitches.
In a blink of an eye, Stripling was perfect through four innings with six strikeouts. His blazing pace through 6.1 innings was excellent, and he helped himself by throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of 19 batters.
"We were joking, 'You can call him Bob Ross Stripling today,’” said manager John Schneider. "He's painting."
The knuckle-curve had great bite to it as well. Stripling snapped off a great bender to start the fifth inning, eventually getting the O’s to ground out three up, three down. Into the sixth, he was still perfect. Another changeup sat down Rougned Odor, and two more groundouts kept the leger perfect.
The perfect game ended in the seventh, when Cedric Mullins lined a soft single into center. Stripling got a groundout from Anthony Santander afterward, but when Schneider trudged out to the mound, Stripling said he mentally "shut it down" on the mound.
"You have this weight on your shoulders that you're pitching with," Stripling explained. "And then when you think you're outing's over, it just flutters away."
A conversation ensued between Stripling and Schneider, who originally went to the mound to see if his starter wanted to keep going. The pitcher laughed and told his skipper he was done and handed the ball over.
The right-hander's dazzling performance set the stage for perhaps the biggest breakthrough moment Toronto’s had in a week. With runners on the corners in the seventh, George Springer entered as a pinch-hitter to face Cionel Pérez.
Down 0-2 in the count, Springer lashed a sinking liner into center field, scoring Teoscar Hernández from third. The crowd went nuts, as the catharsis of a 14-inning scoreless drought gave way to a shockwave of cheers from the stadium.
With that drive, Springer recorded his 1,000th career hit.
"I had forgotten about [the milestone] to be completely honest with you," said Springer, who also recorded his first career pinch-hit. "That's a big spot right there, and I'm just happy I can help us."
The party continued when Santiago Espinal banged in a two-run double one batter later. And it kept going, as the Blue Jays batted around, plating six runs before the final out was recorded.
"It's just a lot of emotion, kind of energy, kind of explosion. It's excitement," Springer said. "That's a big hit by Santi, a guy that's having an incredible year. So in order for us to string together some runs right there, [that] was huge.
"Obviously, it hasn't been the best stretch for us. And I think everybody in that locker room understands what's at stake."
At long last, Toronto snapped its five-game losing skid against Baltimore. The offense’s breakthrough prevented a series sweep, but it felt much larger given the way the Jays were trending. And Stripling’s shutdown outing was another positive takeaway from the end of a bumpy homestand.
When the Blue Jays' front office acquired Stripling for a low-level prospect at the 2020 trade deadline, it’s unlikely they perceived him as a middle-of-the-rotation arm or even a late-season X-factor. With José Berríos suffering through unexplainable misfortune and Yusei Kikuchi officially relegated to the bullpen, Stripling would start Game 3 of a wild-card series if the playoffs began today.
Luckily, the playoffs don’t start for another six weeks. The Jays have a stretch of time to figure things out, but, in the meantime, Stripling looks up for the challenge.
"[Stripling's] been tremendous. You can't understate it," said Schneider. "He's been a stabilizing force. You can't ask for much more than what he's doing. And the execution part of it has just been phenomenal."
