Go BCC Blue Jays!: Blue Jays flash the Leather

The Blue Jays brought some serious leather to their match-up with the Cardinals on Sunday, October 6, at Whitman High School.

Teams that play well defensively tend to give themselves a chance to succeed even when they aren't at their best at the plate.

The Blue Jays are developing impressive fielding depth for a recreational league team. No fewer than ten players had a role in at least one put-out.

Rallies in the early innings left no doubt about the outcome. The final score was Blue Jays 13, Cardinals 2.

October 6 Game Report

Vinny Guo has reason to be excited about his performance - versus that Cardinals and throughout his first season with the Blue Jays. Above, Vinny celebrates after delivering a two run double to center field in the bottom of the first inning. For the game, Vinny was 3-for-3 with the twin-bagger, two runs scored, and three RBI.

Vinny had a starring role in the Blue Jays' fantastic defensive showing in the top of the fifth inning. Playing at 1st base, he caught a throw from the pitcher's helper to retire the lead-off man on a 1-3 groundout. Two batters later, Vinny put his body in front of a bouncing grounder, got a handle on the ball after trapping it between his glove and his chest, and stepped on the bag to end the inning. We love it when kids do it exactly how we practice it!

Jacob Carle set the table from the lead-off spot in the order. His 3-for-3 showing included a single in the first, a triple in the third, and a double in the fifth. Despite being denied an opportunity to hit a homer for the cycle, Jacob did manage to score three runs and deliver an RBI.

On a day when the Blue Jays executed many sparkling defensive plays, this play by Jacob in the top of the second inning was a highlight. Playing at 2nd base, he stayed with a grounder that had deflected off of the pitcher's helper's glove. Above, Jacob grabs the baseball and turns toward 1st base. His throw arrived just in time to beat the runner! Returning to 2nd base in the top of the fourth, Jacob covered the bag, caught a throw from the 3rd baseman, and applied a tag to complete a big 5-4 force play.

Adam Farber provided much of the offensive firepower for the Blue Jays. Above, he prepares to rip a line drive to right center field for a double that would drive in two runs and allow his team to reach the five-run limit in the bottom of the first inning. Adam then grounded a solid base hit to right center field and circled the bags to score a run in the bottom of the fourth.

Adam got the Blue Jays off to a good start with an excellent defensive performance on this play in the top of the first inning. Playing at pitcher's helper with none out and a runner on 1st, Adam fielded a well hit groundball and smartly decided to make the easy throw to 1st base for the game's first out. In the top of the fourth, Adam prevented two runs from scoring when he stopped a well hit bouncer in center field and immediately threw to the cut-off man, stopping three base runners in their tracks; those runners would still be on base when the next batter struck out, ending the inning.

Above, Henry Goldstein leads off the bottom of the third inning by legging out an infield hit. Hustling to get on base any way he could, Henry provided the spark that would culminate in a five-run rally that put the game out of reach.

Henry also started what might have been the Blue Jays' best defensive inning of the fall season. Playing at pitcher's helper in the top of the fifth, Henry fielded a well hit comebacker between his two feet, made the 180 degree lefty turn toward 1st base, and delivered a perfect throw to beat the runner by at least three steps. The 1-3 groundout set the tone for a 1-2-3 half inning!

Brendan Wang continued to zero in on pitches from the machine in the game with the Cardinals. Brendan battled through plate appearances in the second and fourth innings, fouling off pitches and proving to be a tough out.

Defensively, Brendan made two excellent stops on grounders. Playing at 3rd base in the top of the fourth, he fielded a well hit groundball between his two feet and, seeing that the runner had already advanced from 1st base to 2nd base, wisely decided to hold the ball. When the next batter hit a nearly identical groundball to 3rd base, Brendan made the stop and threw accurately to 2nd base, completing the 5-4 force play and notching his first infield assist of the season.

Reto Lamparter deserved better than the two singles that were entered in the scorebook. Above, he prepares to send a shot to center field in the bottom of the fourth. On a 2-for-2 day, Reto's hits landed in the outfield grass. In both instances, the Cardinals' outfielders made good plays to prevent extra bases.

In the photo above, Reto makes a great play for out number three in the top of the fifth. Playing at 2nd base for the first time this season, he handled a bouncing grounder and tossed an excellent throw to the 1st baseman. The 4-3 put-out helped the Blue Jays retire the side in order. Earlier, Reto helped his team get off to a good start, catching a throw from the pitcher's helper to complete the first put-out of the game.

Noah Solovey has been Mr. Consistency in the heart of the Blue Jays' batting order. Above, Noah sends a groundball down the 3rd base line for a lead off single in the bottom of the second. In his second at bat, Noah grounded out productively, advancing two runners who would go on to score. The head coach wants every player to work to achieve a 90 percent contact rate in the Spring 2020 season. Noah is one of five Blue Jays to surpass that mark through five games this season.

For the second consecutive week, Noah's work at pitcher's helper was the cause of heart palpitations. In the top of the second inning, he moved up a few steps, tracked a high pop-up, and very nearly caught it. It seems as if Noah comes a little closer to closing the deal every week.

The Blue Jays count on Sebastian Bloomberg for consistent production from the second spot in the batting order. On Sunday, he did not disappoint, delivering a 3-for-3 line that included a triple on the swing shown above, two runs scored, and an RBI. For the season, Sebastian is batting .889 with a double, three triples, two home runs, 16 runs scored, and eleven RBI.

The base runner in the photo above had already been thrown out on a force play. Sebastian covered the bag and caught a throw from the shortstop for a 6-4 force out. Here, he tags the runner to remove any remaining doubt. Playing in right center field in the fourth inning, Sebastian knocked down a well hit ball and delivered a good throw to the cut-off man to hold the batter to a long single.

Brody Gottfried extended a Blue Jays rally with a clean base hit up the middle in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brody has helped his team this season by increasing his contact rate at the plate. His 240 point improvement from spring to fall represents the biggest jump of any player on the roster.

The Cardinals had some difficulty with contact (64%), but they did hit the ball hard when they ran into one. Brody did his best to put his body in front of a rocket at 3rd base in the top of the sixth inning. He also gave good effort on well hit balls at pitcher's helper in the top of the fourth.

Seamus Bain can be a top of the order hitter if he can train himself to not drop his hands prior to swinging the bat. He managed to put the ball in play for a productive RBI groundout to 1st base in the bottom of the fourth inning. Seamus will benefit from doing the Two Tee drill again and again throughout the winter.

We loved the aggressiveness that Seamus demonstrated at infield positions. Playing at 3rd base in the top of the first inning, he charged a slowly hit grounder and made a valiant attempt to gun down the runner. Playing at pitcher's helper in the sixth inning, Seamus made a habit of charging the ball rather than waiting for things to happen.

Dominic Delgado has set a standard for production that is unsustainable. By any measure, 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI is outstanding. But Dominic has set an unsustainable standard - Sunday's output included season low totals for total bases, extra base hits, and RBI. He was also thrown out - on a fly ball to left field - for just the second time this season. Dominic did manage to keep his 1.000 contact rate intact. His 2.105 slugging percentage means that he still averages better than a double per at bat.

Dominic contributed an early defensive highlight in the top of the first inning. Playing at shortstop, he fielded a ball that had caromed off a teammate, wheeled toward 2nd base, and delivered an accurate throw that arrived just in time to complete the 6-4 force play. Dominic later took advantage of a rare opportunity to play 1st base, catching a throw from the 2nd baseman to retire the leadoff hitter on a 4-3 put-out.

Milen Hukmani led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a base hit that lit the fuse on a two-run rally. Milen would go on to circle the bases and cross the plate to score his ninth run of the fall season.

Milen made two spectacular unassisted put-outs at 2nd base. Here, he ends the top half of the third inning by fielding a well hit grounder and turning to complete the force play long before the runner arrives from 1st base. In the top of the fifth, he moved to his left and caught a tricky fly ball to secure the second out of the inning.

Clark Roggie has been a reliable rally extender for the Blue Jays. In Sunday's game, his double to right center field keyed a five-run barrage in the top of the first; Clark's single to center field then accelerated a five-run romp in the top of the third. For the season, Clark is batting .882 with three doubles, a triple, eight runs scored, twelve RBI, and a 1.000 contact rate.

Playing at 1st base for the first time this season, Clark looked to be right at home in the top of the second inning. Above, he tosses the ball back to the pitcher after catching a good throw from the 2nd baseman to complete a 4-3 put-out.

When the game was over, the Blue Jays and Cardinals congratulated each other for a well played game.

Support Staff

Eric Delgado led pregame groundball and catching and throwing warm-ups that had the Blue Jays looking like a well-oiled machine! Coach Delgado also handled outfield and 3rd base coaching duties during the game. Afterward, he carried equipment for the enfeebled head coach.

Lance Bloomberg was a jack-of-all-trades for the Blue Jays. Here, he takes a turn coaching at 1st base during an early rally. He took a turn at the pitching machine in the late innings. Perhaps most importantly, Lance made a quick in-game trip home to fetch the postgame snacks. Impressive and much appreciated!

George Roggie served up pitches from the machine that led to huge rallies in the first and third innings.

Navin Hukmani kept the line moving from the 1st base coaching box

One More!

The Blue Jays will wrap up a fun and successful fall season next week. We encourage everyone to come and cheer throughout the rematch with the Nationals.