Former LSU pitcher is a finalist for the Cy Young Award

Kevin Gausman seems to be aging like fine wine as he is pitching at an elite level for the Toronto Blue Jays.

[autotag]Kevin Gausman[/autotag] has been in the MLB for 11 years and has played for five different teams as he is on the cusp of turning 33 years old in January. Gausman seems to be aging like fine wine as he is pitching at an elite level for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gausman joins Sonny Gray of the Twins and Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees as the three finalists for the AL Cy Young Award.

Gausman had a phenomenal regular season for the Blue Jays as he finished with a 12-9 record and a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts. He struck out a career-high 237 hitters and walked 55 hitters in 185 innings. He made an appearance for the Blue Jays in the playoffs but it did not go well.

He started against the Twins in the Wild Card and only went four innings as he gave up three runs on three hits. He struck out five hitters and walked three.

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Sonny Gray revealed how Twins fans helped him execute a stunning Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pickoff

What a play, with an assist by the fans.

It was, perhaps, the play that changed it all in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series for the Minnesota Twins.

In the fifth inning, with runners on second and third and the Twins clinging to a two-run lead, Sonny Gray and Carlos Correa pulled off an amazing pickoff play to get Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to end the inning.

How did Minnesota do that in the middle of a playoff game with the pressure on? Gray revealed that they had practiced the play in spring training and had worked on it before the postseason … and that Correa told Gray that the Blue Jays couldn’t hear the third base coach yell “BACK!” because the crowd at Target Field was so loud:

@mlbnetwork

Sonny Gray and Carlos Correa were in sync for this clutch pickoff! đŸ’„

♬ original sound – MLB Network – MLB Network

That is seriously great work by the Twins AND their fans. Bravo.

Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement claims ‘Super Bowl or bust’ for Bills

Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement claims ‘Super Bowl or bust’ for #Bills:

The Buffalo Bills already have their expectations of having another successful season that hopefully results in a Super Bowl victory. It seems that the Bills have another person in their corner as they make their journey towards winning the NFL championship.

Ernie Clement, second baseman for Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, recently said his expectations for his Bills is winning the Lombardi Trophy. Clement, who was born in Rochester, went so far as to say that this season for Buffalo is “Super Bowl or bust” showing his steadfast confidence in his favorite team.

The Bills are expected by many to be one of the better teams in the league thanks to the team returning some of its best players in quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and linebacker Von Miller, to name a few. Buffalo begins its 2023 campaign on Sept. 11 at the New York Jets.

Clements comment can be found in the post-game interview he conducted with Sportsnet in the clip below:

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Elly De La Cruz pulled off an electric Little League home run for the Reds, and MLB fans were amazed

Elly De La Cruz is unstoppable.

Is there anything Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz can’t do?

During a Saturday game against the Toronto Blue Jays, De La Cruz pulled off one of the smoothest Little League home runs that you’re likely to see this season of any MLB team.

Multiple Toronto errors led to a Reds baserunner making it home, but De La Cruz found a way to make it around the diamond to home just in time to be called safe and to get a run for himself.

It’s the kind of electric play that has turned De La Cruz into one of the game’s most promising young stars. It’s also the kind of play that makes him a nightmare for opposing teams when he pulls moves like this.

 

De La Cruz is going to become a Cincinnati legend in no time if he keeps making plays like this. MLB fans can’t help but look on in awe.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. brilliantly dropped a pop fly on purpose to get a double play

What a heads-up play from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looked to have made a strange error while fielding a pop fly, but it wound up being a great call.

While his team was facing the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, Guerrero had a chance to catch an easy out on a pop fly from Reds outfielder Will Benson.

However, Guerrero intentionally let the ball drop rather than catch it to help make a spectacular double play on the Cincinnati runner who was trying to make it to second.

This was some incredibly smart baseball from Guerrero, who evaded the infield fly rule since there was no Cincy runner on second.

MLB fans were mightily impressed with Guerrero’s very clutch decision, which helped get the Blue Jays two outs instead of one.

Sometimes, catching the pop fly is the right call. Sometimes, letting it fall helps you get even more out of the situation than you previously had.

Blue Jays’ Davis Schneider goes from defunct 2017 MLB Draft round to homer in first at-bat

Davis Schneider had a heck of a debut for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Davis Schneider made it a long way to his major league debut on Friday night.

He was picked by Toronto in 2017 in the 28th round of the MLB Draft, which does not exist anymore in the draft format.

After six years spent in the minor leagues, Schneider finally made his Blue Jays debut and made the absolute most of it. He homered on his first at-bat and had multiple hits throughout the night.

That’s an impressive first MLB game for the former 849th pick who now has quite a journey under his belt as he plays for Toronto.

Schneider became the first Blue Jays player with multiple hits in a MLB debut sine Danny Jansen in 2018. He’s only the fourth player to homer in their first plate appearance in franchise history.

Talk about a story of perseverance. Schneider’s probably going to become a fast fan favorite in Toronto for how his story is unfolding in the majors, and he’s got a heck of a memento from his MLB debut.

That’s not bad for a guy who was drafted in a round that doesn’t exist anymore.

Seahawks players discuss their favorite Taylor Swift song

Only fitting seeing as T-Swift is in town this weekend

This weekend, the Seattle Seahawks are hosting a very special house guest. Lumen Field will be loaned out to the one and only Taylor Swift, as her Eras Tour continues for two nights in the Emerald City.

Of course, with this in mind, Seattle’s social media team decided to ask a few Seahawks players what their favorite Taylor Swift song was.

Taylor Swift is in Seattle the same weekend the Toronto Blue Jays are in town to play the Mariners, which always brings a massive influx of Canadian visitors. If you’re planning on driving anywhere downtown, leave plenty early.

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Blue Jays pitching coach was bizarrely ejected by umpire without even looking at him

This no-look ejection has to be a first in baseball.

Whatever Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker said, it clearly drew the ire of umpire Malachi Moore for an ejection.

On Tuesday, Alek Manoah was starting his second game since returning from a minor league demotion back in June. Despite a solid outing earlier in July, Manoah struggled during Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, allowing two runs in the first inning before walking a batter with two outs in the second.

After Manoah walked Trent Grisham, pitching coach Walker visited the mound to talk to his pitcher. Moore walked to the mound not moments later then ejected Walker for something that was said during the conversation. The strangest part? Walker wasn’t even looking in Moore’s direction when he was ejected!

Whatever was said between Walker and Manoah, Moore clearly didn’t like it. Given the context that Moore missed a strike three call earlier on in the at-bat against Grisham, it’s highly likely Walker was objecting to the umpire’s ruling and that got him tossed.

A no-look ejection is not something you see every day in baseball, that’s for sure.

MLB fans couldn’t get enough of Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s super slick slide into second

This slide was so cool.

Slide over, Trea Turner. There’s a new slick slider in MLB.

That would be Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. The Toronto Blue Jays slugger and Home Run Derby champ was seen sliding into second against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, and while his double didn’t perhaps require him to start his slide into second SO early, it didn’t matter.

Because that slide was slick as hell. It was like someone dunking on a breakaway and going between the legs. A 10/10 slide, no notes. It just looked really cool.

Everyone loved it and made comments about it on Twitter on Sunday as the Blue Jays went on to win:

ESPN somehow mistakenly said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is from Cuba after Home Run Derby win

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a Canadian-Dominican slugger.

Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby but it didn’t come without an awkward hiccup.

After the victory, ESPN’s broadcast produced a lower-third graphic that indicated Guerrero Jr. joined Yoenis Cespedes as the second Cuban-born player to ever win the MLB All-Star Weekend Contest.

The problem, however, is that Guerrero Jr. is not actually from Cuba. Guerrero Jr. was born in Montréal, Quebec in Canada when his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., played for the Expos. His father is also not from Cuba but from the Dominican Republic.

Guerrero Jr. has a Canadian passport and birth certificate. Growing up, meanwhile, he split his time between Santiago and Don Gregorio in the Dominican Republic and in the United States with his father.

Guerrero Jr. joins his father as well as Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, David Ortiz and Juan Soto as Home Run Derby Champions from the Dominican Republic.

Perhaps what happened is that ESPN loaded up the wrong graphic and was instead prepared for a Randy Arozarena victory. Arozarena, unlike Guerrero Jr., is actually from Cuba.

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