Power Pros Forum

Jay of the Day: Yoshimitsu Tsuchii
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Monday, March 3, 2014


DUNEDIN - Tsuchii catches a pop-up in yesterday's game against the Phillies.

It's an off day today, so it will only be an interview today. Japanese-born lefty Yoshimitsu Tsuchii is the subject of our series. He pitched an inning yesterday and got the win despite allowing a run. Here is how our interview with him went:

Richard Griffin: Hello, Mr. Tsuchii. Do you, by chance, speak any English?

Yoshimitsu Tsuchii: A little bit, I still do need a translator sometimes, but my family moved to Toronto when I was a teenager so I did learn a bit of English and I am able to understand simple questions such as yours.

RG: Oh, good! I'll try to keep it as simple as possible then. So what led you to move from Japan?

YT: My dad is a businessman and he was offered a job in Canada that he could not turn down. It was tough saying farewell to all my friends and I unfortunately missed out on my dream of pitching in the Koshien, but he did what he had to do. I would have done the same thing.

RG: That's a shame. Hopefully you get the opportunity to do that in the future. So how have you enjoyed your time here?

YT: I've enjoyed my time here, but there are a lot of aspects about Japan that I miss. The food, the fashion, everything is so strange. The sporting culture is way different too, where I'm from baseball and soccer are the top sports, but over here, it seems like hockey and basketball rule. That's just what I've seen, though.

RG: Have you picked up any new interests since coming here?

YT: I always liked movies growing up, but when I moved here, I started to watch more and more of them. I also enjoy fishing and I'm glad I can still do that here in Canada. Probably the other thing that I'm really into is chess. I think playing it has really helped me as a pitcher as well.

RG: Oh, really? How so?

YT: Well, it has taught me about the importance of having a strategy, as well as showing that having a large amount of options is always nice. That is why I like to have many different types of pitches that I can throw at any time. Many people like to compare the matchup between a pitcher and a batter to a chess match, and as a guy who enjoys both, I can tell you that they are very much correct. This type of thinking is why great pitching is so appreciated in Japan, as opposed to Western fans enjoying more of a high-powered offensive game. Not that either way of thinking is better than one another.

Hey, this has been fun, but I have to leave. I'm expecting an important call.

RG: Alright, no problem. I don't want to keep you waiting or anything. It's been a pleasure interviewing you.

YT: Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm actually going to sim to the end of spring now, since everyone left to interview are just players I made, so I doubt they'd be that fascinating.

Cool, so the regular season will be starting now?

Blue Jays 25-Man Roster Announced
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Sunday, March 31, 2014


DUNEDIN - Jays star Jose Bautista finishes up his last day of spring training.

The Blue Jays have officially announced their 25-man roster for the upcoming 2014 season. Here are the players who Jays fans will be seeing on Opening Day, along with their stats for the spring.

Pitchers
#43 R.A. Dickey, R/R, 39 years old (21.0 IP, 4-0, 2.57 ERA, 27 K)
#60 Dean Stradley, S/R, 31 years old (26.0 IP, 1-0, 3.46 ERA, 31 K)
#25 Moses Adler, L/L, 25 years old (25.2 IP, 0-2, 4.21 ERA, 15 K)
#18 Danny Hopkins, R/R, 23 years old (21.0 IP, 1-2, 4.29 ERA, 29 K)
#54 Marcus Stroman, R/R, 22 years old (11.1 IP, 0-0, 5.56 ERA, 12 K)
#57 Juan Perez, L/L, 35 years old (8.2 IP, 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 K)
#51 Austin Langer, R/L, 26 years old (14.1 IP, 0-0, 1.26 ERA, 17 K)
#23 Stephen Brooks, S/R, 23 years old (10.1 IP, 0-0, 0.87 ERA, 14 K)
#33 Jeremy Jeffress, R/R, 26 years old (6.1 IP, 0-0, 1.42 ERA, 9 K)
#58 Todd Redmond, R/R, 28 years old (14.1 IP, 1-2, 5.02 ERA, 12 K)
#39 Leo Vizcaino, R/R, 27 years old (9.1 IP, 0-2, 9.64 ERA, 12 K)
#64 Chad Jenkins, R/R, 26 years old (7.0 IP, 0-2, 3.86 ERA, 0 K)

Catchers
#30 Dioner Navarro, S/R, 30 years old (.167/.218/.250, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
#32 John Scott, L/R, 31 years old (.194/.237/.444, 3 HR, 6 RBI)

Infielders
#10 Edwin Encarnacion, R/R, 31 years old (.247/.368/.548, 6 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB)
#9 Kent Murphy, R/R, 25 years old (.329/.364/.695, 8 HR, 19 RBI, 8 SB)
#17 Ryan Goins, L/R, 26 years old (.077/.143/.115, 0 HR, 3 RBI)
#13 Brett Lawrie, R/R, 24 years old (.202/.242/.281, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB)
#7 Jose Reyes, S/R, 30 years old (.256/.299/.354, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 SB)
#28 Michael Scott, R/R, 22 years old (.091/.200/.091, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

Outfielders
#6 Hayden Goldson, R/R, 24 years old (.282/.305/.603, 5 HR, 17 RBI)
#4 Damon Allred, R/R, 25 years old (.255/.300/.511, 4 HR, 7 RBI)
#40 Mackenzie Matthews, R/R, 28 years old (.196/.288/.196, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB)
#8 Anthony Gose, L/L, 23 years old (.370/.393/.444, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB)
#19 Jose Bautista, R/R, 33 years old (.299/.397/.672, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB)

Overall, the Blue Jays finished the spring with a 12-13 record, good for 10th in the Grapefruit League, 6 games behind the Marlins, who had the best record of any team this spring with an 18-7 clip. Also in the news, SP Liam Hendriks and RP Neil Wagner were designated for assignment today. Shortstop Munenori Kawasaki and first baseman Luis Jimenez took their places on the Jays' 40-man roster.

The Blue Jays have their first game on April 2nd against the Cleveland Indians at home. Despite the amount of roster turnover, there should be no doubts about a full house for this game.

Dang Kent, .329 and 8 homers in spring training is pretty good.

michael scott will hopefully improve

I would hope.

That K/9 made me jizz a little bit

(1-0) Indians 6, (0-1) Blue Jays 5




Jays Suffer Opening Day Loss
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Tuesday, April 2, 2014


TORONTO - Hayden Goldson hits his first career home run in the 8th inning.

The Blue Jays start the season off on a low note, losing to the Indians at home by a score of 6-5.

The start of the game was filled with optimism, what with all the Opening Day ceremonies as well as a 2-run double in the first inning by Jose Bautista off Indians ace Justin Masterson.

How quickly it changed.

R.A. Dickey looked strong after the first inning, but struggled mightily in the second, giving up 5 runs in the inning thanks to RBI singles from center fielder Nyjer Morgan, second baseman Jason Kipnis, and catcher Yan Gomes to go along with a 2-run home run from newly-converted third baseman Carlos Santana. Dickey would be able to get through 5 innings, giving up those 5 runs. Control was an issue for him throughout the game, as he walked 3 batters which contributed to that big second inning.

The Blue Jays attempted a comeback, however, starting with a solo home run by new signing Dioner Navarro in the bottom of the second. Both offenses would remain silent until the 8th inning, when the Jays scored 2 runs to tie the ballgame at 5. They were provided via solo shots by Brett Lawrie and Hayden Goldson.

All the momentum the Blue Jays had quickly evaporated with the first 2 batters in the top of the 9th. New pitcher Austin Langer came in and got right fielder David Murphy to hit a grounder to second, but Kent Murphy (no relation) bobbled the ball and could not recover. He was charged with his first error of the season. It would prove very costly, as Gomes doubled into the left-center gap, scoring Murphy and giving the Indians the 6-5 lead.

After giving up 3 runs in the first 2 innings, Justin Masterson shut the Blue Jays down. He went 7 innings total, striking out 7. Masterson was asked what caused his turnaround in performance.

"After the homer by Navarro, I think that's when something just clicked in my head that I needed to make some big adjustments. After the inning was over, Yan [Gomes] and I had a long talk going over our plan, making sure we would keep our lead. I think that talk was really effective, and I feel that the stats after the 2nd inning show it. The game got a little tense toward the end there, I'm just glad I could keep our guys in the game and I'm happy we could get that first win out of the way early."

Dickey was also asked about his performance after the game.

"The ball just wasn't moving the way I would've liked it to. It's a shame. I'm really the one who deserved the loss today. I just have to come back out next time with a stronger start, simple as that."

Hayden Goldson was also interviewed after hitting his first career home run. Here's what he had to say.

"Yeah, man, it felt damn good! It's a bummer that it happened in a loss, but still, I'll never forget it. I smacked the cover off that thing! Blue Jays fans, you're in for a treat. You'll be seeing that happen a lot this year, I guarantee it!"

The Blue Jays seek their first win tomorrow, as Dean Stradley goes up against Corey Kluber.

Good ol' Kent. Messing up on boring ass defense.

That was a beautiful update though, it looks good.

(6-4) Blue Jays 6, (7-3) Royals 2




Pair of Firsts Result in Jays Victory
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Friday, April 12, 2014


KANSAS CITY - Kent Murphy watches as his first career dinger clears the left field wall.

The Blue Jays earned a comfortable 6-2 victory over the Royals in Kansas City Friday night.

English-born flamethrower Danny Hopkins was the gentleman of the hour, if you will, earning his first career win after an underwhelming first start against the Red Sox. Hopkins struck out 8 Royals in 6 innings, and while he did run into some control issues early on, primarily during the second inning when he gave up his only 2 runs, he was overall very effective. The bullpen then did their job, shutting out the Royals in the last 3 innings to ensure the victory.

The 3-4-5 hitters for the Blue Jays all went 3-5, with Bautista driving in 2 runs. In fact, every single Jays starter got a hit in this game except center fielder Anthony Gose, and even then, he still scored a run. The bigger story, however, is Kent Murphy's first career home run. Murphy was asked about how he felt to do it.

"Woo! Honestly, it felt fan-f***ing-tastic! I mean, it's no surprise really when you got the pitcher up there throwin' pretty much nothing. I kinda felt sorry for him, but you gotta do what you gotta do, so I smacked that dinger outta here!"

Hopefully this game will help Murphy crawl above the Mendoza line, as he is currently hitting only .185 through these 10 games.


Danny Hopkins hits 100 miles per hour on a pitch that struck out Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas.

Hopkins was also asked about his performance today.

"I was keen to improve on my past outing, which was very disappointing, for me at least. So, I'm glad I could come out and truly give a proper performance for my club. Also, I heard that one of my pitches hit 160 kilometers, which was outstanding. Glad to see all the training is working for me so far. I just want to be able to last longer in games now."

The Royals received a scare when young catching phenom Salvador Perez had to leave the game after being hit by a Hopkins pitch. However, it appears to be just a bruise and DL time will not be necessary.

Yes! however only hitting .185 isn't cool

Murphy Injured
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Saturday, April 13, 2014

The Blue Jays will be without their starting second baseman for at least a month, as Kent Murphy has suffered a broken leg injury during a play at second base in a 3-0 loss to the Royals. He has been transferred to the 15-day DL. This comes just a day after Murphy hit his first career home run against those same Royals.

Murphy is currently hitting .214 with the lone dinger and 3 runs batted in. He was starting to heat up over the last couple of games, just as it seemed he was getting used to MLB pitching, so the injury is even more unfortunate in this regard.

Japanese middle infielder and fan favorite Munenori Kawasaki has been called up to take Murphy's place on the 25-man roster. Kawasaki, Ryan Goins, and Michael Scott will all be seeing at-bats as manager John Gibbons seeks to replace Murphy in the lineup.

Can we just give Hopkins the MVP now?

Goldson is a beast, no doubt

(9-10) Blue Jays 7, (7-12) Yankees 4




Jays Sweep Yanks Thanks to Big Inning
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Sunday, April 21, 2014


TORONTO - Edwin Encarnacion crushes a 3-run homer in the second inning.

The Blue Jays have swept the Yankees in a 3-game set, winning the final game Sunday afternoon by a score of 7-4.

The game started out looking like the Yankees might prevent the sweep, as a 2-run homer by Carlos Beltran and a solo shot by Jacoby Ellsbury gave the Bronx Bombers an early 3-1 lead.

That would all change in the bottom of the third.

The Jays had already pushed 1 run across thanks to a solo homer by Hayden Goldson in the bottom of the second, his 6th of the season. In the 3rd, Edwin Encarnacion set the scoring in motion with a 3-run bomb to left field, his 3rd on the year. An RBI single by Damon Allred and a sac fly by Mackenzie Matthews gave the Jays 2 more runs in the inning.

Marcus Stroman was not great today, but he pitched not terrible enough to get his first win in his career. Stroman went 5.2 innings, giving up 4 runs and striking out 4.

Allred hit his first career homer of the season in the 8th inning, giving the Blue Jays an important insurance run. There was talk of sending the struggling Allred down to Triple-A, especially since right fielder Todd Rosado is on a hot streak there, but today's game should earn Allred a couple more days in Toronto with the big club.

Things got interesting in the top of the 9th, as Leo Vizcaino had a couple sliders slip and nearly hit both third baseman Kelly Johnson and Ellsbury. Nothing happened, though. Vizcaino would settle down and record his 5th save on the season.

Also in the news, the Blue Jays released right-hander Ryan Tepera and subsequently signed second baseman Luis Hernandez to a minor league deal. Hernandez will start out at Triple-A Buffalo.