Blue Jays Happy Hour Andrew Stoeten

Of all the seasons of Toronto Blue Jays baseball I’ve watched, that was certainly one of them. Fittingly, the team made a two run deficit feel insurmountable right to the very end—though not before embarrassing themselves with a too-clever-by-half pitching decision that will live long in the memory. Fire Schneider? Fire Atkins? Fire Walker and Hudgens and Mattingly? Trade Bo? Run Vlad out of town? Blow the whole thing up?
I mean, probably not. But people are sure going to have some thoughts about another year of wasted opportunity for this team. And in Episode 120 of Blue Jays Happy Hour, we give you ours.
Have a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. (Google is still not updating our feed correctly, and apparently they’re ditching their podcast app and moving pods to YouTube Music soon, so maybe we won’t be able to get this sorted until then.)
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The Blue Jays played a decent, hard-fought game in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, making some nice defensive plays, hitting some balls hard that found gloves, and getting the kind of outstanding relief work we’ve become accustomed to around here this season. Unfortunately, a couple of poorly located pitches from a struggling Kevin Gausman, some missed opportunities at the plate, a couple balls that just couldn’t quite leave the yard, and a glaring baserunning gaffe conspired to make it so that “decent” is about the nicest descriptor one can use—and one that’s maybe even too polite. They weren’t good enough. And because of that, tomorrow afternoon they’ll be playing with their season on the line.
In Episode 119 of Blue Jays Happy Hour, we talked about all that, and so much more.
Have a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. (Google is still not updating our feed correctly, and apparently they’re ditching their podcast app and moving pods to YouTube Music soon, so maybe we won’t be able to get this sorted until then.)
THE BATFLIP is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾


Get full access to THE BATFLIP at stoeten.substack.com/subscribe

The Blue Jays did it. They’re back in the playoffs. And they’re playing a team—the Minnesota Twins—that, based on their indifference toward Sunday’s result, they’re perfectly happy to be up against.
One of these teams will end a years-long streak of playoff futility, the other will be in for a longer and colder winter than any of their fans are ready to contemplate right now. They’re in and, for the moment, everything is possible.
How did the Jays get here? Just what was that game on Sunday? What would the conversation be like if the Jays had failed? What should we expect from the matchup with the Twins? Who should start games two and three? Who will win, and who will be the heroes?
On episode 118 of Blue Jays Happy Hour—the first of a number of playoff-related episodes we’ll be putting together for as long as the Jays are still in it!—we talk about all that, and much more.
Have a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. (Google is still not updating our feed correctly, and apparently they’re ditching their podcast app and moving pods to YouTube Music soon, so maybe we won’t be able to get this sorted until then.)
THE BATFLIP is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾


Get full access to THE BATFLIP at stoeten.substack.com/subscribe

A good weekend at the Trop? In this economy???
When Nick and I recorded Episode 116 back on Thursday, we figured that we'd better add a second episode to our schedule this week, expecting that the Jays by here on Monday night would be about to embark a fight for their playoff lives.
Instead, they've come through a second straight weekend in which just about every result they needed went their way. The Mariners lost three times to the Rangers, the Astros lost three to the Royals, and the Jays themselves took two of three in Tampa.
Things are good enough at the moment that in Episode 117 we actually allowed ourselves to indulge in discussing some playoff possibilities, like whether we would try to setup to face the Twins instead of the Rays, whether John Schneider is the right manager for the job, what to do with a slumping Davis Schneider, and more
Have a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts (unless it’s Google still, though I remain hopeful that I’ll eventually get through to someone who can help and the feed will actually get fixed at some point).
THE BATFLIP is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾


Get full access to THE BATFLIP at stoeten.substack.com/subscribe

The Blue Jays came up short against AL Cy Young frontrunner Gerrit Cole on Thursday night, and now face an incredibly tough test against the Rays this weekend at the dreaded Trop. But they’re still in the driver’s seat in the race for the final AL wild card spots. They are also, somehow, tied with the Astros for the third-best record in the American League.
It’s only going to get weirder from here, folks.
And to get you setup for the weirdness, we kicked this week’s episode off with a semi-traditional vibe check, and followed that up by discussing the road ahead, the AL West, the latest twists and turns in the Alek Manoah saga, Mitch White, Vlad pinch hitting on his bad knee, Yusei Kikuchi’s sleep habits, Mike Babcock for some reason, and so much more.
Have a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts (unless it’s Google still, though I remain hopeful that I’ll eventually get through to someone who can help and the feed will actually get fixed at some point).
THE BATFLIP is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾


Get full access to THE BATFLIP at stoeten.substack.com/subscribe

The Blue Jays are bad, the Alek Manoah situation is weird, Nick and I talked about both things on our latest episode of Blue Jays Happy Hour, and you should give it a listen!
You can find us in all the usual places, such as Apple Podcasts…
…as well as Spotify, and others. (If you’re a Google Podcasts user, I’m still hopeful that the feed will actually get fixed at some point!)
THE BATFLIP is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

⚾ Be sure to follow me on Twitter // Follow the Batflip on Facebook // Want to support without going through Substack? You could always send cash to stoeten@gmail.com on Paypal or via Interac e-Transfer. I assure you I won’t say no. ⚾


Get full access to THE BATFLIP at stoeten.substack.com/subscribe