TORONTO – Through a long and grinding season, Santiago Espinal hardly ever seems overwhelmed.
But playing in Toronto for the first time was one of those rare moments.
“It almost drew tears from me— It did draw tears from me, I won’t lie to you,” Espinal said, in Spanish, from Seattle. “For me, that was something so special and I will never forget it. Fifteen thousand fans felt more like a million.”
Espinal ended up making arguably the defensive play of the year in that 6-4 win against the Kansas City Royals on July 30. It was also his first ever home game with the Toronto Blue Jays — an unforgettable moment in a season that’s been filled with them for the 26-year-old major-league sophomore.
Espinal has carved a role beyond the Blue Jays bench, emerging as the team’s primary third baseman as Cavan Biggio continues to deal with back and neck injuries.
His work ethic and preparation have been pivotal in earning Espinal the trust of Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. As a 2016 10th-round pick who didn’t make the big leagues until last year, he appreciates the importance of being ready for the call – whatever it may be.
“It hasn’t been easy, getting here,” Espinal said. “It’s about a lot of dedication and a lot of work, especially mentally. In this work, the mind must always stay positive. Ninety-nine per cent of the work is mental.
“Thankfully, I’ve always kept myself steady, always positive, to come in every day and play and stay ready for whatever opportunity the team will give me.”
His patience has paid off.
It was back in 2018 that Espinal joined the Blue Jays in a relatively quiet trade that sent Steve Pearce to the Boston Red Sox.
After toiling in the minors for two years, Espinal finally made the major leagues in 2020, mostly as an up-and-down utilityman on the Blue Jays bench. The majority of his reps last year came at shortstop, but with the addition of Marcus Semien, third base offered Espinal the best chance to crack the lineup in 2021.
As Biggio struggled with injuries and at bats opened at the hot corner, Espinal took the step from bench player to everyday guy.
The Dominican native has enjoyed a successful stretch since his last triple-A stint in mid-July, making the highlight reels for his defence while batting .287 with a .346 on-base percentage and 14 RBI over 72 games this season – including a three-hit performance in the Blue Jays’ Sunday win against the Seattle Mariners.
“Most of the times I’ve spoken to Charlie, I’ve told him that I’m ready for whatever they need from me,” said Espinal. “Whether that be fielding, hitting or running … I always tell him, ‘don’t be afraid to tell me what you need.’ And he has trusted me.
“That’s a good thing, that he knows I will always be ready for whatever the team needs.”
Espinal has had his issues with right-handed pitchers, and his .174 batting average in August is certainly a point of concern. But he’s still hitting .333 against lefties and has tacked on three stolen bases to those numbers.
Though he lacks the power some third basemen provide, Espinal can be an above-average contact hitter, giving the Blue Jays a chance to bring back to the plate the scary-talented top of their lineup. All of that as the No. 8 or 9 hitter in the order.
“He’s been outstanding,” Montoyo said of Espinal. “He’s ready to play whenever you play him. This guy, you can not play him for a week and then play him again and he does a great job. He’s had a great year. He’s part of our success.”
Patience and a positive mindset doubtless are attributes the Blue Jays could use at the moment. After dropping the three-game series against the Mariners over the weekend, Toronto now finds itself four-and-a-half games out of a wild-card spot in the American League.
After their off-day on Monday, the Blue Jays begin a two-game series against the Washington Nationals, looking to build on the momentum of their win on Sunday. After that, a home series against the subpar Detroit Tigers awaits – along with a chance to gain some ground on the chase for October baseball.
But Espinal isn’t thinking that far ahead.
“We should tackle the day in front of us,” he said. “We can’t be in a hurry, we can’t think about tomorrow or in the future and only think about what’s happening now. (On Friday), we lost, but that’s in the past. Today, we’ll go again and we’ll play the game that we play.”
That has been the message across a young and talented roster still working to pay their dues – and likely facing an uphill climb for the rest of the regular season.
Through the rough stretches, Blue Jays teammates have found solace in the clubhouse.
“Every day, we’re always pushing each other forward and helping each other out,” said Espinal. “The communication among our players is tremendous, and it’s something we appreciate.
“I wish one day everyone could see, but in the clubhouse we’re all in it together.”
More than a solid hitter and a soothing clubhouse presence, Espinal has turned himself into one of the best third basemen in MLB, defensively. With soft hands and an accurate arm, he has committed just four errors over 72 games this season — after posting just two in 23 games last year.
“Every time a batter sends it toward third, we feel like he’s going to end the play,” said Blue Jays third base coach Luis Rivera. “Defensively, he has a natural ability. Since he came over from Boston, we could see his ability. But he’s worked very hard and he’s gotten even better.”
Sooner or later, Biggio will find his way back to health and into the Jays lineup, which will most likely mean Espinal will see fewer reps. His overall numbers may also take a hit as the season progresses, since playing more frequently means facing more righties.
If and when that happens, Espinal should be prepared for it, too.
“Even when he’s not playing, sometimes he’ll go the whole game with his glove on, because he knows he may get called into the game at third,” said Rivera. “He’s always looking for ways to help the team, always attentive to the game we’re playing.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
