Toronto Blue Jays 2016 Season in Review
By Tim Haberin
Once again, the Toronto Blue Jays were defeated in the ALCS, dashing their hopes one step shy of the World Series. Let’s take a look at the good and not-so-good aspects of their journey.
For the second straight year, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ season ended in the American League Championship Series. You can look at that from a glass-half-full or half-empty perspective. To reach that stage of the postseason two years running is an impressive feat in its own right. But to fall short of the World Series both times after coming so close is maddeningly frustrating.
The Jays’ path to the playoffs in 2016 was a bit more challenging than the year before, however. Last season, buoyed by a couple blockbuster deadline deals, Toronto won 93 games and captured its first AL East division title since 1993. This year, they amassed 89 victories, finishing behind the Boston Red Sox in the division and taking one of the league’s two Wild Card berths.
The Blue Jays actually got off to somewhat of a slow start, posting an 11-14 record in April. But from there they began to take off, going 65-43 over the next four months. A late-season slump almost cost them, though, as they went 11-16 in September and desperately clung on to a postseason spot amid competition from multiple teams. They won their final two contests of the regular season, however, to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Toronto dispatched division rival Baltimore at home in the AL Wild Card by a score of 5-2 in 11 innings, as Edwin Encarnacion delivered a walk-off three-run homer. Like last year, they faced the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, but instead of needing five games to defeat them, they swept them in three. The Jays failed to put up much of a fight against the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS, though, scoring only eight runs in the series’ five contests – five of which came in Game 4.
Though it all came to a screeching halt, there was still much to keep Blue Jays fans excited throughout the campaign. Let’s take a closer look at the highs, lows, and everything in between.
Next: The Good