CityNews In New York: Blue Jays Out On A High In Yankee Stadium Finale

They came, they saw, and they left on a winning note.

The Toronto Blue Jays put together a strong, if somewhat insignificant final series at legendary Yankee Stadium over Labour Day weekend, taking two out of three in memorable fashion and leaving the hometown heroes and division rivals with the dimmest of hopes for extending the life of their historic ballpark past September.

Still, the Jays had little cause for complaint when the sun-soaked sessions were through.

From their collective perspective the three dates had a healthy dose of winning, spoiling and bittersweet celebration. In the words of first baseman Lyle Overbay, “all that good stuff.”

On Friday they fell just short in a 2-1 loss, but welcomed a player with future cornerstone potential in 20-year-old Travis Snider, all on the same day they said goodbye to fan favourite Matt Stairs.

Manager Cito Gaston put a positive spin on things.

“They try hard, sometimes it might not look like that because we don’t score runs,” he begrudgingly admitted.

But on Saturday his club proved him wrong, rallying from way back to eek out a highly dramatic 7-6 victory that made sudden heroes out of Jose Bautista and a sizeable portion of the Toronto bullpen. Maybe the offensive surge could be chalked up to an appearance from Yankee great Reggie Jackson, who held court cage-side during Jays batting practice and was his typically chatty self alongside Gaston and Jays coaches.

“He likes to talk hitting and I like the confidence he brings,” Gaston later said through a knowing smile.

And Saturday’s win set up a rubber match Sunday, with a pitching matchup dripping in all-star experience. But Roy Halladay is in his prime and Andy Pettitte is far from it, looking every bit that way as the Doc outdueled him with relative ease and guided his team to a 6-2 victory.

But the anti-climactic finish didn’t dampen the beautiful day’s reflective atmosphere, as nearly every Jay took their moment to soak in one last visit to the Cathedral of Baseball.

Shortstop John McDonald, who stepped into more playing time after news of the trade of David Eckstein made the rounds following Sunday’s win, seconded the Doc’s words.

“Sometimes we get really caught up in wins and losses when we really have to appreciate the places we’ve been able to play,” he acknowledged.

“This is the last time the Blue Jays are ever going to play in the old Yankee Stadium and you want to take it in as much of possible.”

Gaston certainly did plenty of that. Lingering on the grass as batting practice wrapped up ahead of Sunday’s tilt, the tall, soft-spoken manager stared into the seats with a sincere fondness and profound sense of history few if any of his players can claim.

“I just walked out on the field, picked up a couple of balls and looked around,” he said. “I had a lot of great memories here … they’re gonna move across the street so I’m looking forward to seeing that ballpark too.”

And there’s nothing wrong with looking forward.

But the Toronto Blue Jays also have reason to look back and be thankful for one last winning series on the most hallowed of all baseball grounds, a warm memory of those last days of August that no wrecking ball could erase.

aaron.miller@citynews.ca


10 Memorable Jays Visits To Yankee Stadium

April 18, 1977. The Jays initial trip to the Cathedral is a successful one. In the Bombers second season back from a two-year stint at Shea and the Jays’ first season period, Toronto takes a 5-1 decision on the strength of Dave Lemanczyk’s four-hit complete game. Otto Velez goes 2-for-4 and drives in a pair. A paltry 9,685 take in the action.

September 10, 1977. It’s a night Catfish Hunter would like to forget as the Jays tag the Yanks for 19 runs on 20 hits in a 19-3 win over the eventual World Series champs. The future Hall of Famer allows six runs in 3.1 innings while Jays third baseman Roy Howell goes off at the dish with five hits in six at-bats and an eye-popping nine runs driven in.

August 9, 1983. Dave Stieb loved Yankee Stadium and this early appearance was one of his highlights on the hallowed turf, going the distance and allowing just three hits in an 8-0 victory.

June 8, 1987. More Stieb excellence as four years later the legendary righty keeps the Yanks to just two hits over seven innings in a runaway 11-0 win.

April 10, 1989. The Yankees are at the absolute mercy of Stieb in his best performance against them, He tosses another complete-game gem, allowing just one hit in an 8-0 victory. Fred McGriff, Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield all homer for Toronto.

April 29, 2005. Roy Halladay frustrates Bomber bats in a three-hit shutout and strikes out nine, outdueling Randy Johnson in a 2-0 final made possible by a two-run shot off the bat in Eric Hinske in the seventh inning.

September 14, 1985. Manhattan singer Mary O’Dowd forgets the words to O Canada, butchering the tune as well. It doesn’t matter to the Jays though, who cruise to a 7-4 win en route to their first AL East title.

August 31, 1991. Jimmy Key has the ball dancing for the Blue Birds, giving up just three hits while the Jays earn a 5-0 victory over their historic hosts. The season was the second worst in Yankee history with 91 losses, while the Jays won 91 games before falling to the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS.

July 22, 2004. A heartbreaker for the Jays, who lose 1-0 after the winning run scores with two out in the ninth in the form of a solo Ruben Sierra blast off Vinnie Chulk. The flop drops the Jays to more than 20 games back.

September 22, 2007. Another tough loss for the Jays, who fall 12-11 in 10 innings despite spraying 18 hits across the House That Ruth Built. The teams combine for 35 hits total, but Melky Cabrera’s single off of Josh Towers in the extra frame plates Johnny Damon and proves to be the difference.

Check out our other exclusives from New York:

CityNews In New York: Jays Fans Make Historic Pilgrimage For Club’s Last Stand At Yankee Stadium

CityNews In New York: The Classic Characters Of Yankee Stadium

CityNews In New York: David Eckstein Waves Goodbye To Jays, Yankee Stadium On Same Day

CityNews In New York: Jays Bask In Classic Comeback After Penultimate Yankee Stadium Tilt

CityNews In New York: A Closer Look At The New Yankee Stadium

CityNews In New York: Jays Gem Travis Snider Has Dream Debut At Yankee Stadium

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