The Toronto Blue Jays needed Sunday’s game. After dropping the first two in Texas and watching their playoff hopes shrink further, Toronto held on for a 7-2 victory against the Rangers on Sunday, preventing the sweep.
The Blue Jays sit at 77-79 with six games remaining. Their elimination number is three. The math requires near-perfection from Toronto and significant help from elsewhere. The window is almost closed.
But inside a game that carried that kind of desperation, one player’s approach stood out above everything else.
Bateman’s 30-Pitch Masterclass
Brett Bateman worked his way through 30 total pitches on Sunday afternoon. Nineteen of those belonged to Jacob deGrom, whose fastball still sits at 97 miles per hour and whose slider ranks among the most effective single pitches in the majors this season.
Bateman finished the day 1-for-3 at the plate, drawing two walks and crossing home three times. He reached base to start three separate innings, sparking rallies in the first, fifth, and seventh. Each time, the Blue Jays capitalized.
The performance came after Bateman made a deliberate adjustment. He had gone his last five games without a walk, putting up a 6-for-21 stretch that told him something needed to change.
“I told myself today, I didn’t want to chase against deGrom. He has really good stuff and I was just like, ‘If I get out swinging at good pitches or pitches in the zone against a guy like him, I’ll be happy with it,'” Bateman said. “I want to be aggressive because I think a lot of pitchers think, ‘Oh, he doesn’t hit for power, let’s go at him. Let’s not let him get on base.’ But at the same time, I want to be a little more selective. Just to mix it up.”
The Art of the Long At-Bat
Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised the approach after the game.
“It’s a good approach against a really good pitcher,” Schneider said. “Up and down, just kind of grinded him and got his pitch count up.”
His third plate appearance was the best example. Bateman ground out a 10-pitch walk in which deGrom threw four pitches outside the zone and Bateman refused to offer at any of them. He fouled off multiple fastballs at 97 to stay alive.
“I love long at-bats. Love them,” Bateman said. “If you’re not going to hit for power, you have to do something in the box. Any at-bat over eight pitches, I don’t care if I get out. I don’t mind at all. Especially against a starter like him.”
“All you want to do is run up his pitch count,” Bateman said. “If I get out with a 9-, 10-, 11-pitch at-bat, that’s two to three at-bats for one guy. That can get rid of a whole inning for a starter. I feel like I did that. I’m pretty happy with my at-bats against him.”
Final Word for the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays may not be playing postseason baseball this year. The math is stacked against them with six games left. But Bateman is making the case that he belongs in Toronto’s lineup beyond this season.
His ability to work counts, get on base, and set the table for the middle of the lineup is exactly what a team built around contact and discipline needs at the top of the order.
“Just put good at-bats together. Be a dog, get on base,” Bateman said. “That’s all you can ever do.”
Blue Jays Hitter Makes Honest Admission After Win Over Rangers