Bichette brings down the house with two-homer night as Blue Jays ding Yankees
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Rob LongleyPublishing date:
Sep 29, 2021 • 12 minutes ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette hits a solo home run against New York Yankees in the third inning at Rogers Centre on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports Photo by DAN HAMILTON /USA TODAY SPORTS Article content It was some five hours before the curtain call, the dance around the bases following one of the biggest home runs of his young career.
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Article contentBo Bichette was talking with the confidence of a veteran, not a young player trying to navigate his way through the late stages of his first full big-league season, one with playoff hopes potentially wavering.
The calm would turn to bedlam after a two-homer night from the Jays shortstop on Wednesday, the trigger to a dramatic 6-5 win over the New York Yankees to keep the Jays playoff light flickering.
Bichette’s solo shot in the eighth inning brought down the house for one of the Jays’ most dramatic â€" and frankly biggest â€" wins of what still has a chance to be a magical 2021 season.
And perhaps best of all for a still-growing team, they weren’t intimidated by a Yankees team that brought a seven-game winning streak to the dome.
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Article content“We don’t look at (the Yankees) like that,†Bichette said when asked if this precocious team was intimidated by the Bronx Bombers. “We know what we can accomplish. If it happens this year, it happens this year.
“But I think what we’re going through right now … I can’t really state how beneficial it’s going to be going forward. We’re just focused on how much better we can be, either way.â€
The Jays certainly got a taste of what awaits in Toronto, should they continue on the trajectory towards being perennial contenders. A near-sellout crowd of 29,601 at the Rogers Centre erupted when Bichette’s second homer of the night just cleared the wall in centre field to reclaim a lead his team had held for much of the night.
It was a crucial win, of course, keeping the Jays in the chase of both the Yankees and Red Sox for an American League wild-card spot.
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Article contentBut as much as anything it once again showed how resilient the team can be.
They took it to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole early â€" thanks to Bichette’s first dinger of the night, three hits from George Springer and a record-setting round-tripper from Marcus Semien.
Players that have craved a home-field advantage for going on two years got a taste of what many of them only saw on television back when the 2015 and 2016 teams were weaving their magic.
And Bichette was in the middle of it all. A playoff race can be an excruciating thing, one that builds character or causes a player or team to wilt. The Jays are growing significantly from the process.
“A playoff race, learning how to deal with the adrenaline, to deal with the butterflies … I just think it;’s something that is pretty easily taken care of when you put in the work. The (Yankees) are just another team trying to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish. I don’t look at them as at a higher standard than us. We’re just focussed on what we can do.â€
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Article contentThey showed plenty on Wednesday â€" from the work of starter Jose Berrios, who no-hit the Yankees through four and gave his team the type of clutch start they needed.
They got it from Springer, who led off the game with a double â€" his first of two on the night. And they got it from the remarkable Semien, who with 44 homers after his first-inning blast set an MLB record for most round-trippers in a season by a second baseman.
And to close things off, they got a clutch ninth inning from closer Jordan Romano to finish it off.
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A thrilling night all around but a learning experience, something Springer said he’s tried to impress upon his teammates, stressing will be greater good to the experience of what has been an entertaining if currently fizzling September.
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Article content“It’s been exciting, enjoy it and honestly whatever happens happens,†Springer said. “Obviously the goal is to win and advance as far as we can, but to understand that this is the type of baseball we want to be playing as a team this late in the season.â€
The 2017 World Series MVP said he’s seen no sign of negative energy from his teammates, but more of a thrill at the challenge of beating a proven team like the Yankees to get to the playoffs.
Marcus Semien of the Blue Jays celebrates his home run with George Springer in the first inning. VAUGHN RIDLEY/GETTY IMAGES “Any time you get the butterflies, I would think that’s excitement,†Springer said. “In my opinion, if you’re not nervous it means you’re not prepared. I don’t think that’s the case at all with these guys.
“The more you go through it, the better you’re going to be. This is the first full season for a majority of this roster.
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Article content
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It certainly was a big one on Wednesday, a potential season saver think in drama, importance and excitement.
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“It’s amazing, a ball game like this,†Berrios said. “That’s why I love this game. We believe we can do what we did out there. This team is special. (The crowd) gave me a taste of a playoff game.â€
And for Bichette and the rest of his teammates, a hunger to make it happen.
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