{"id":70417,"date":"2025-07-17T17:13:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T17:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/70417\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T17:13:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T17:13:12","slug":"inside-the-blue-jays-improbable-revival-its-a-pretty-cool-atmosphere-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/70417\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Blue Jays\u2019 improbable revival: \u2018It\u2019s a pretty cool atmosphere right now\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The visiting clubhouse brimmed with a quiet confidence. Players slid through narrow hallways with looseness, peeking at pregame scouting reports and bouncing out to the batting cage. At the centre of it all, four Toronto Blue Jays sat huddled around a wooden table.<\/p>\n

Hours before the Jays trotted onto the field to secure their 10th consecutive victory earlier this month, utilityman Davis Schneider pulled a red playing card from a central pile, tucking it into his guarded hand. Staring over from his locker, Joey Loperfido thought for a moment. The young outfielder had just been asked about the 2025 Blue Jays. How were they different? How had they surged to the top of the American League East?<\/p>\n

As Loperfido began to speak, the group at the table laid down their hands. Someone \u2014 if you\u2019re going off the loudest cheer, it was Myles Straw \u2014 had just won. They screamed and hollered, and from across the room, Loperfido reached for his answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you see it right there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Toronto rattled off victories and soared to the top of its division, everything went right. Players from Triple A notched game-saving hits the very same night they were promoted. Rookie relievers locked down games in extra innings. The group outplayed its expected record by five wins.<\/p>\n

When asked to explain the transformation, the players point to each other.<\/p>\n

The Jays didn\u2019t turn from disappointment to contender with a major winter splash. Instead, Roki Sasaki became the latest offseason disappointment for fans who clamoured for a free-agent saviour. There would be no Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto signing to lift this team to greatness. And even the more modest offseason additions the Jays brought in haven\u2019t played a particularly prominent role in the turnaround. The difference between the failures of Toronto\u2019s turbulent 2024 season and the successes thus far of a reinvigorating 2025 campaign, they say, lies in the culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I\u2019ve been here, this is one of the best years that I\u2019ve been in the clubhouse,\u201d Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. \u201cOnce I wake up, I just can\u2019t wait to get to the field to be with my teammates. It\u2019s been unbelievable. It\u2019s what any manager would want, a team like that, a culture like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been part of the difference in this year\u2019s Blue Jays. (Cole Burston \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The change manifests in the dugout, which is typically buzzing during close games. The Jays point to a fresh commitment to base running, improved communication, hitters accepting more specific roles and pitchers empowered to adjust, even if it means bucking industry norms. Now, they begin the second half of a season filled with promise after completing the organization\u2019s best first half since 1992 \u2014 the year Toronto won the first of two straight World Series titles.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a stark, almost unbelievable, contrast from Toronto\u2019s trade deadline fire sale a year ago, during a dismal season that ended in last place. That 74-win campaign opened eyes to what the Jays needed to improve, multiple players said. In a way, this year\u2019s bountiful wins are a product of those many losses.<\/p>\n

This winter began with conversations, led by Toronto\u2019s veteran core. An organizational debriefing, veteran starter Kevin Gausman called it. Players texted players, coaches held meetings and calls, scouts chimed in, and the front office listened. They established a list of issues and went about correcting them. This improbable run to the top of the AL East \u2014 this ostensibly unyielding culture \u2014 has been exactly what they imagined.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, you got to go through some s\u2014 to really basically get exposed and fix issues,\u201d veteran righty Chris Bassitt said. \u201cI feel like last year, I never want to go through it again. It exposed a lot of things, and I never want to go through it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Guerrero\u2019s groundball hit rolled inside third base, George Springer bolted. The deeper the ball dribbled into the Chicago White Sox outfield, the faster Springer ran. As he rounded second base during a game last month, Davis Schneider stood in the Jays\u2019 dugout, slapping the foam pad in front of him. As Springer passed third and slid safely home, Schneider threw his hands in the air.<\/p>\n

That effective aggressiveness on the bases is something the team has tried to instill for years. Ahead of spring training in 2023, better base running was manager John Schneider\u2019s stated goal. That year, the Jays ended up as the fifth-worst base-running team in MLB, per Baseball Savant\u2019s extra bases taken. Last year, they fell to third worst.<\/p>\n

The 2025 Jays, by average sprint speed, are slower than the previous two iterations of the team. But, in bases taken, they rank above league average. That success is meant to send a bigger message.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we can control,\u201d Schneider said, \u201cis effort, anticipation and aggressiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a lot of \u201cdirect conversations,\u201d Schneider said, a continuation of the honest discussions started in the offseason. The coaching staff presented numbers to Toronto\u2019s roster, explaining the runs lost by being one of baseball\u2019s worst base-running teams. They\u2019d done that before, but it takes a veteran tone to set a standard.<\/p>\n

This year, the two players who have been among Toronto\u2019s biggest risers in trying for extra bases are Guerrero, who recently signed a $500 million extension, and Springer, who previously held Toronto\u2019s largest-ever contract.<\/p>\n

In fact, Springer has entirely embraced the mentality. On days he\u2019s the team\u2019s designated hitter, Springer\u2019s listed position on the lineup card flashing on a digital screen inside Toronto\u2019s home clubhouse often reads \u2018OP.\u2019 It\u2019s short for offensive player, a moniker coined by associate manager DeMarlo Hale and Schneider. It\u2019s a reminder that scoring runs isn\u2019t entirely about hitting and that edges can be gained through effort.<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays didn\u2019t get faster this season, but they nevertheless got better at base running.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor lack of a better term, s\u2014 runs downhill,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cSo I hear it, I say to the staff, we go to the players. Then players are going to players, and they hold each other accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Veteran George Springer has helped lead the Blue Jays\u2019 improvement on the bases. (Matt Dirksen \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Of course, other changes that have led to the Blue Jays\u2019 resurgence aren\u2019t quite as quantifiable, nor have they unfolded in plain view. Some of them have taken shape in places like the manager\u2019s hotel room at 2 in the morning.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Schneider pulled out a whiteboard during an April trip to Houston. Hale and hitting coaches David Popkins and Lou Iannotti sat sprawled across the manager\u2019s hotel room. As the coaches tossed out lineup concepts, the manager jotted down potential batting orders with his rounded letters, erasing one idea before moving on to the next. The Jays concoct lineups days in advance. They are malleable \u2014 accounting for hot streaks, injuries or pitching changes \u2014 but a general plan exists.<\/p>\n

This season, those concepts are being communicated to players up and down the roster. By the time players get back to the hotel after a game, they often know whether they\u2019re in the next day\u2019s lineup and what position they\u2019re playing.<\/p>\n

That ample notice, players say, has made it easier to accept their roles and made them more willing to pass the big moment to the next man. It has fostered a new day, new hero mantra around the team. One game, it\u2019s Springer driving in seven runs, the next it\u2019s Ernie Clement delivering a walk-off.<\/p>\n

The Jays\u2019 dugout sounds like a space occupied by a team on pace for 93 wins. Batters nestle beside the hitting staff, and off-day pitchers listen in on pitching plans between innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish more people could kind of hear what it\u2019s like in our dugout,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cFrom a variety of people. Whether it\u2019s the starting pitcher, pitchers that aren\u2019t pitching or guys that aren\u2019t starting. It\u2019s a pretty cool atmosphere right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the atmosphere of any winning team Bassitt has ever been on, he said, though for the Blue Jays, the impact reaches beyond just good vibes. Three innings into his July 3 start against the New York Yankees, Bassitt ditched his cutter. It was a key part of the attack plan against New York \u2014 10 of the Yankees\u2019 12 regular hitters whiff over 20 percent against the pitch, and in Bassitt\u2019s last outing against the Bronx Bombers, he threw cutters 23 percent of the time.<\/p>\n

But on this night, he couldn\u2019t locate the pitch. When Trent Grisham hammered a cutter right down the middle, sending it 409 feet to the bleachers, Bassitt altered course. The veteran starter returned to the dugout, explained the issue, and the pitching plan changed. Only six of his next 67 pitches were cutters. What happened next, Bassitt said, is Toronto\u2019s 2025 difference.<\/p>\n

Bassitt\u2019s decision to ditch his cutter filtered up and down the dugout. Players took note. First-base coach Mark Budzinski altered outfield alignments, and the infield shifts were tweaked to accommodate the change in plans. Pitchers feel more empowered to make those in-game adjustments this year, Bassitt said, because they know they will be supported.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to change anything at any moment, we have the ability to change things at any moment,\u201d Bassitt said. \u201cI know that\u2019s not the norm around the league. Like, a lot of the time, it\u2019s \u2018hey, do this and just shut up and do it.\u2019 That\u2019s just not what we\u2019re doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Addison Barger celebrates in the Blue Jays dugout, which has been a lively place this season. (Michael Chisholm \/ MLB Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Last year, the Blue Jays entered the All-Star break seven games under .500 and 8 1\/2 wins out of a postseason spot. The looming trade deadline selloff was obvious at that point. The October dream was over early. As the dreadful season wore on, Bassitt said it became \u201calmost impossible\u201d not to play for individual stats and personal outcomes.<\/p>\n

There is no team culture that can survive that level of losing \u2014 hopes dashed that early. It\u2019s a slide the 2025 Jays sought to avoid, to the point their preseason conversations focused on this goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think every player has some sort of individual agenda, or maybe not agenda, but something underlying,\u201d said Bo Bichette, one of the faces of the franchise. \u201cLike maybe they\u2019re not playing as much as they want, or they\u2019re not playing the position they want. Everybody has those, it doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re not here trying to win. But just trying to keep those kinds of things at bay, keep the focus on winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toronto entered the season knowing the first month would be tough. Six of the club\u2019s first nine series came against opponents coming off appearances in the postseason. The April goal was .500 baseball \u2014 survive the spring. They finished that month 14-16. Since then, the Blue Jays are 41-25, the best record in all of baseball over that stretch.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was a scorching-hot month and breakouts from Addison Barger and Springer that kickstarted the climb. Maybe it was a dash of the good fortune required to overperform their plus-20 run differential, and the unheralded Eric Lauer saving the rotation. Or, maybe it was a matter of culture. Whatever the reason, winning perpetuates winning, even when the possibility seems remote. The Blue Jays\u2019 first-half surge was powered in part by their 27 comeback victories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to buy in when there\u2019s so many people around you that are bought in,\u201d rookie reliever Braydon Fisher said. \u201cIt\u2019s also easy to buy in when you\u2019re winning. And it\u2019s easy to buy in when we\u2019re playing electric baseball games.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, the Jays entered the break with excitement. It wasn\u2019t a four-day reprieve from a dismal season, but a needed break before a second-half battle for first place. After reshaping priorities in offseason texts and phone calls, it\u2019s where they hoped to be. Now, the Blue Jays hope to stay there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just happy that everyone has bought in,\u201d Bassitt said. \u201cBut now it\u2019s just continuing. Obviously, we have a lot of games left. We\u2019re probably going to go through stretches that are not that great for four or five games in a row. But don\u2019t change that thought process. This thought process is why we\u2019re really good right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo of Addison Barger: Cole Burston \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The visiting clubhouse brimmed with a quiet confidence. Players slid through narrow hallways with looseness, peeking at pregame…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":70418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1266,62,1290,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-70417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114869698870100693","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}