Something from a Mike Wilner (Jays analyst, smart guy) commentary. Just to give a bit of background on a (new) young pitcher for those who did not see his first game.
Alvarez was pretty much as advertised. He didn?t throw a fastball under 95 miles an hour in the first inning, and hit 97 on the stadium gun a couple of times. Alvarez shut the A?s down on two hits the first time through the order, and got his first big-league strikeout in the 3rd, catching Jemile Weeks looking on a change-up that was as hard as most Brad Mills fastballs. The next hitter was Cliff Pennington, who swung through a 95 mph heater for strikeout number two.
Alvarez finally got touched in the 4th, as David DeJesus took him deep with one out to tie the game. Conor Jackson followed with a chopper that Brett Lawrie couldn?t short-hop on the dead run, then Ryan Sweeney ripped a double into the gap in left-centre. A Scott Sizemore ground single up the middle cashed Sweeney with the inning?s third run, and Weeks then drove a ball to deep left-centre that Colby Rasmus somehow ran down ? a phenomenal catch that saved at least an RBI double.
Alvarez then worked a hitless 5th and got two quick outs in the 6th before giving up back-to-back singles, the second one at the end of an 11-pitch battle with Sizemore. That was enough, and Alvarez hit the showers to a rousing ovation an out away from a quality start in his big-league debut. Casey Janssen struck out Pennington to end the inning, then the magic happened.
Just for those who care, the "magic" was Brett Lawrie.
This ballpark has not rocked in many, many moons the way it rocked when Brett Lawrie took a huge swing at a 2-0 fastball and drove it as high as he drove it long. A towering blast deep to left field, it scraped the wall on the way down ? but it scraped the wall on the bullpen side of the fence. Lawrie went kinda nuts as he saw the ball disappear, then rounded the bases in celebration of his first major-league Grand Slam.
Once he got back in the dugout, Lawrie could barely contain himself ? he walked up and down the dugout screaming ?Let?s Go!!!!? among other things, high-fiving anything that got in his way, almost killing a teammate or two, slamming his batting helmet down in celebration, popping out of the dugout for a curtain call; all as the rest of the Blue Jays busted out with laughter around him.
Anyways, just some info for any thinking of fading (or backing) the new kid on the block later tonite.
Alvarez was pretty much as advertised. He didn?t throw a fastball under 95 miles an hour in the first inning, and hit 97 on the stadium gun a couple of times. Alvarez shut the A?s down on two hits the first time through the order, and got his first big-league strikeout in the 3rd, catching Jemile Weeks looking on a change-up that was as hard as most Brad Mills fastballs. The next hitter was Cliff Pennington, who swung through a 95 mph heater for strikeout number two.
Alvarez finally got touched in the 4th, as David DeJesus took him deep with one out to tie the game. Conor Jackson followed with a chopper that Brett Lawrie couldn?t short-hop on the dead run, then Ryan Sweeney ripped a double into the gap in left-centre. A Scott Sizemore ground single up the middle cashed Sweeney with the inning?s third run, and Weeks then drove a ball to deep left-centre that Colby Rasmus somehow ran down ? a phenomenal catch that saved at least an RBI double.
Alvarez then worked a hitless 5th and got two quick outs in the 6th before giving up back-to-back singles, the second one at the end of an 11-pitch battle with Sizemore. That was enough, and Alvarez hit the showers to a rousing ovation an out away from a quality start in his big-league debut. Casey Janssen struck out Pennington to end the inning, then the magic happened.
Just for those who care, the "magic" was Brett Lawrie.
This ballpark has not rocked in many, many moons the way it rocked when Brett Lawrie took a huge swing at a 2-0 fastball and drove it as high as he drove it long. A towering blast deep to left field, it scraped the wall on the way down ? but it scraped the wall on the bullpen side of the fence. Lawrie went kinda nuts as he saw the ball disappear, then rounded the bases in celebration of his first major-league Grand Slam.
Once he got back in the dugout, Lawrie could barely contain himself ? he walked up and down the dugout screaming ?Let?s Go!!!!? among other things, high-fiving anything that got in his way, almost killing a teammate or two, slamming his batting helmet down in celebration, popping out of the dugout for a curtain call; all as the rest of the Blue Jays busted out with laughter around him.
Anyways, just some info for any thinking of fading (or backing) the new kid on the block later tonite.
