Matt Chapman continued his scorching hot start hitting a grand slam & Kevin Kiermaier went 3-for-5 with 5 RBI including a go-ahead double in part of a two-run tenth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays outlasted the Los Angeles Angels 12-11 in a thriller.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Mulling over what he liked about the Toronto Blue Jays during their season-opening, 10-game road trip, Matt Chapman quickly pointed to one trait he sees across all areas of the club.
“I like the resiliency of this team,” he said before a wild Sunday in which his sixth-inning grand slam started a rally from a six-run deficit, Jordan Romano blew a three-run lead in the ninth and Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer drove in runs in the 10th for a 12-11 victory Sunday over the Los Angeles Angels.
“We had some things that didn’t go our way early … Guys are taking good at-bats. Defensively, we’ve done some good things we can build off. So I feel like there are a lot of positives.”
Can the Blue Jays continue to play well and have a good start to the season?
The stunning comeback, before an Angel Stadium crowd of 31,092 under a clear, blue California sky, underlined that and left the Blue Jays at 6-4 heading into Tuesday’s home opener against the 2-7 Detroit Tigers at the renovated Rogers Centre.
For most of the afternoon, they didn’t seem likely to board their cross-continent flight happy as a first-inning sun-ball dropped in beside Daulton Varsho and led to a three-run first against Yusei Kikuchi, who later allowed homers to Shohei Ohtani and Logan O’Hoppe to create a 6-0 hole.
Angels’ Renfroe belts two-run homer after Varsho loses track of routine flyball
Angels lefty Reid Detmers, meanwhile, allowed only two hits and a walk through five before unravelling in the sixth.
“It’s so easy to fall into the ‘OK, alright, it’s the last day,’ all that kind of stuff,” said manager John Schneider, but instead they kept grinding. “I love the way they just went after it. Huge hit from Chappy, obviously, and then just continued to add on. It says a lot about those guys, man. They’re in it until the end.”
A leadoff walk in the sixth by George Springer started the turnaround. Bo Bichette followed with a single, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hit on the left foot to load the bases and Chapman hammered a cookie fastball on the next pitch to give everyone an easy trip home.
Chapman uncorks first career grand slam to put Blue Jays on board vs. Angels
Varsho followed with a brilliant bunt single before reliever Andrew Wentz whiffed on a Whit Merrifield roller to the mound to put runners on first and second. Two outs later, Kevin Kiermaier plated them both with a triple.
“We have too many weapons to stop playing at any given point,” said Kiermaier. “Didn’t look like we had a whole lot of life, then George leadoff walk, Bo hit, Vladdy hit by pitch, Chapman grand slam, we’re back in the game just like that. It takes little pieces to get one big blast like that and it pumped a bunch of life into us and we knew we were close at that point.”
After a crucial shutdown inning from Adam Cimber, the Blue Jays went to work against a couple of old friends. Ryan Tepera hit Bichette, gave up a bloop single to Guerrero, and watched Chapman break the tie on a bull dunked into centre before Whit Merrifield rolled a ball through the 5-6 hole for some insurance.
That’s when Aaron Loup took over. He struck out Cavan Biggio before an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Alejandro Kirk, only for Kiermaier to deliver a two-run single that opened up a 10-6 edge. Notably, Kiermaier stopped Biggio as he was walking back to the dugout for a quick chat, presumably for a little intel.
“They looked like they were in from my vantage point and Cavan said they were more away,” explained Kiermaier. “So I set my sights on that, looked for something out over the plate and I got it. A little flare did the trick.”
Yimi Garcia worked through the heart of the Angels lineup in the seventh and Erik Swanson gave up a Drury homer in the eighth before Romano couldn’t nail things down in the ninth, hitting Anthony Rendon with the bases loaded before a two-run Hunter Renfroe double.
Still, he recovered to strike out Drury to keep the game tied and in the 10th, the Blue Jays pounced quickly when Kiermaier ripped a ground-rule double and Springer brought him home with an RBI single.
Even then, things weren’t easy as Trevor Richards loaded the bases with two out and induced a first-pitch foul pop-up from Mike Trout that Kirk misjudged and let fall. Richards issued a run-scoring walk to the Angels superstar to make it a one-run game before Tim Mayza got Ohtani on a weak grounder to second, ending the chaos.
“It’s a testament to the culture we have here and the mentality that we have, which is we’re going to battle and we’re going to give it our all until the last out,” said Mayza.
Pivotal to the Blue Jays’ resiliency thus far has been the play of Chapman, a force of nature through the first 10 games. He reached base in four of his six plate appearances, with one of his outs coming on a 98.8 m.p.h. rocket to the mound.
Blue Jays show off newly improved offensive skillset in dynamic win over Angels
Over the winter, he dropped his leg kick in favour of a toe-tap and has looked dangerous every time up, with an utterly absurd average exit velocity of 100.3 m.p.h. and hard-hit rate of 77.8 per cent underlying his .475/.523/.800 batting line with seven doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs thus far.
“I have big goals this season,” said Chapman. “I really felt like I had a higher ceiling than what I’d been showing. I’ve shown it in spurts throughout the courses of different years and I’ve had good seasons before. But I’ve used all that I’ve learned and I felt like I tried to just put the best version of myself out there. Getting early success helps, it lets you know that you’re doing the right thing. Obviously, I’m not going to hit .400 the rest of the season – who knows, maybe I’ll break a record – but the biggest thing I can take is what I worked on this off-season translates.”
The same applies to the Blue Jays as a whole over the first week and a half, which had some mixed-bag elements with rough outings from starters, bullpen blips and the occasional misplays, but also key moments of high leverage.
As well, their emphasis on baserunning, defence, attention to detail and, in Kiermaier’s words, “letting the game come to us,” has also shone through.
‘We don’t quit’: Kiermaier on Blue Jays’ roller-coaster win over Angels
“It’s good that we’re facing adversity like this early because things aren’t always going to go our way,” said Chapman. “You could always let (deflating plays) be, oh, that’s why we lost and that’s why this happened. Instead, I feel like we just stayed in the moment, we still tried to get every little thing we could out of the game.
“And you never know. Even though you give up the save, you get us out of the inning and we still have an opportunity to score runs and win the game. Every little thing like that adds up. And I feel like that’s how you find a way to win these games.”
They found a way to win a crazy one Sunday, much as they did on opening day in St. Louis and Friday in Anaheim, too. Ten games is far too small a sample to draw any conclusions from, but what they’ve already shown certainly hints at an adventurous ride to come.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
