Go BCC Blue Jays!: Blue Jays prevail in Fall Classic

October baseball is famous for producing tension, drama, and excitement. The margin that separates triumph and disappointment is razor-thin. Those who come close are very good; those who prevail must be even better, if only for a few crucial moments.

Sunday's game pitting the Blue Jays and Marlins lived up to the October hyperbole.

The recipe for success was simple - dominant pitching, solid fielding, and timely hitting. For six innings and nearly two hours, the Blue Jays executed. They were rewarded with a memorable walk-off victory.

The final score was Blue Jays 5, Marlins 4.

October 5 Game Report

Seizing opportunities in high-leverage situations, Xander Yu led the way with toughness, smarts, and patience. Summoned to the mound with one out, the bases loaded and the game tied in top of the sixth, Xander rose to the occasion, inducing an infield pop-up and getting a huge strikeout to give his team a chance. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, he drew his third walk and scored his second run of the day, tying the score at 4-4 and setting up the walk-off finish.

The job of the starting pitcher is to keep his club in the game. Having done exactly that in each appearance this season, Cole Hughes rose to a new level, allowing no runs and striking out four versus a talented and deep Marlins' lineup in two innings of work. The next run Cole allows this season will be the first. His team-leading 1.00 WHIP means that he's allowing just one base runner per inning. In addition, Cole helped his own cause with an excellent, hustling infield assist on a swinging bunt in the top of the second.

Sam Berman was equally masterful on the mound in the third and fourth innings. Shutting down the same hitters that had scored 36 runs in their their last two games, Sam allowed just one hit and struck out five. He departed the mound having preserved a tenuous 3-0 lead. Sam also helped the rest of the pitching staff with great infield play, catching two fly balls and a hot liner for unassisted put-outs at shortstop. Sam capped his clutch individual performance with an RBI base hit that tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth.

Andre Schnider was the only Blue Jay to both score and notch an RBI in a game in which runs were scarce. He singled and scored in the first and knocked a clean RBI base hit up the middle in the third. In the bottom of the sixth, Andre reached on a fielder's choice and then circled the bases and scored the game-winning run. On the mound, he pitched a scoreless fifth inning and struck out two.

Derek Sappenfield's plate discipline allowed the Blue Jays to overcome their free-swinging tendencies and work with men on base throughout the afternoon. Putting together exemplary plate appearances in the third and sixth innings, Derek walked twice and scored a run. His defensive contribution thwarted a potential scoring threat in the bottom of the second. Playing at 3rd base, Derek fielded a grounder on a tough hop and stepped on the bag to complete the force play, his second unassisted out of the season.

Jake Lang loves to see velocity when he's in the batter's box. Facing the Marlins' top pitcher, Jake smacked a clean base hit up the middle in the bottom of the second inning. He also hit the ball hard in his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth. Defensively, Jake contributed to the cause in the top of the second, catching a throw from the pitcher to complete an assisted put-out at 1st base. He ranks second on the team with six assisted outs.

Can anyone doubt that the Blue Jays are better with Michael Hardie in the lineup? The team's best performance of the year just happened to coincide with Michael's return from the 4-game DL. After drawing a walk in his first plate appearance of the season, Michael put the ball in play in the bottom of the fifth. He played sparingly on defense in his first game back from injury, but the Blue Jays were glad just to have him on the field.

Will Dash kept the line moving from that fifth spot in the batting order. He hit into a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first and then came up with a productive out in the third, advancing base runners with a grounder to the right side of the infield. Will was the catching portion of the early battery that allowed no runs and few base runners. His throw to 2nd on a stolen base attempt appeared to arrive on time, but the umpire disagreed.

Remaining focused when the opposition doesn't put the ball in play very often can be a challenge, but Gavin Ferguson was ready when opportunity knocked. Playing at 2nd base in the top of the fourth, Gavin battled a tricky late afternoon combination of sun and shade, keeping his eyes glued to a high fly ball until it landed harmlessly in his glove. He also played well at two different outfield positions.

Jack Raymond was an unsung hero in left field, where the Marlins managed to deposit the baseball from time to time. In each instance, Jack demonstrated tremendous focus and cat-quick reflexes to get the ball back to the cut-off man, limiting the opposition to singles on some very good hits. Offensively, Jack was a hard luck hitter, enduring called strikes on some borderline pitches that appeared to be well beyond the border.

Eli Kroskin played well at 2nd base and center field. His bid for a base hit came up just a little bit short when the Marlins' 2nd baseman made a fine play in the bottom of the fifth. Ever a team player, Eli offered to donate his own personal MLB regulation baseball to the cause at pregame batting practice, volunteered to pinch run for an injured teammate, and stepped up to remove bats from the the area surrounding home plate.

George Roggie ended the game with a walk-off base hit to center field in the bottom of the sixth, his second hit and third RBI of the day. He might not be flashy, but he is consistent. As much as we don't want to jinx him with one game remaining, it's worth noting that George is attempting to complete his sixth consecutive BCC rec league season with zero strikeouts.

Bench Depth

Thanks to Derrick Raymond for coaching at 1st base this week and throughout the fall.

Always willing to step up when needed, Wade Hughes found himself in the middle of some high-pressure moments at the 3rd base coaching box. We liked the results.