Mitch Bannon

Toronto

Blue Jays Beat Writer at The Athletic

⚾️ Blue Jays beat writer for @TheAthleticMLB • McGill, Syracuse • ✉️[email protected]

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Articles

Toronto's best since 2000

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

Jayson Stark's MLB All-Quarter Century Team inspired me. What would a team of the best Blue Jays from the last 25 years look like? Sticking to production since 2000, I've compiled a roster of Toronto's top talent this century. There were some tough choices, having to weigh high peaks against lengthy runs, and you're going to disagree with a few, rightfully.
For the first time in his career, Jacob deGrom failed to record a single strikeout

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

ARLINGTON, Texas - Jacob deGrom entered Monday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays with 1,728 career strikeouts. After a 2-1 loss to Toronto and 5 1/3 innings pitched by deGrom, that total remains unchanged. For the first time in his MLB career, deGrom failed to record a strikeout. The Blue Jays, who entered the contest with the American League's fewest punchouts, tagged deGrom for two earned runs, including a Daulton Varsho solo home run.
Why the 2025 Blue Jays are still searching for their 'true identity'

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TAMPA, Fla. - Most MLB teams have a clear identity by the end of May. Every time you flip on the television or step into the ballpark, you know what to expect. The Toronto Blue Jays, over 50 games into the 2025 season, are not one of those known commodities. They've swept three series and were swept three times. They've had a five-game losing skid and a four-game win streak.
Alek Manoah, replacing Yimi GarcĂa, Jeff Hoffman's command

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TAMPA, Fla. - It was all about the arms before the Toronto Blue Jays took the field in Tampa Bay. José Berríos allowed three earned runs in Toronto's 3-1 loss to the Rays on Saturday, but the chatter centered on pitchers who didn't appear on the mound and won't for a while. From navigating life without Yimi García to picturing a future with Alek Manoah, here are three notes on the state of Toronto's pitching.
As Blue Jays head to Tampa, here's why Tropicana Field (mostly) won't be missed

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TORONTO - Tropicana Field was all fun for a 10-year-old Bo Bichette. Sitting in the stands for a 2008 American League Championship Series game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, Bichette felt the full crowd. As cownose stingrays swam in the right field tank, cowbells rang out each time Carl Crawford or Evan Longoria reached base. But when Bichette first played at the Trop during his rookie season, 11 years later, it wasn't the same. "The vibe was different," Bichette said.
The 2025 Blue Jays need good stories. Nathan Lukes is providing one

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TORONTO - Nathan Lukes almost gave it all up. The outfielder had just finished his sixth minor-league season in November 2021 when his daughter, Remi Lynn, was born. Despite hitting over .300 with the Tampa Bay Rays' Triple-A squad that year, he was released to minor-league free agency. With a new family and dashed dreams, it was the closest he came to quitting.
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman searched for his old splitter, and he might have finally found it

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TORONTO - When Kevin Gausman needed an out, he turned to his signature pitch. With Luis Arraez bouncing off third base, threatening to score in Wednesday's first inning, the Toronto Blue Jays starter fired a two-strike splitter to the bottom of the zone. The pitch lingered in the air before diving under Jackson Merrill's whiffing bat for an inning-ending strikeout. That pitch is the one Gausman's been looking for, the exact fall-off-the-table splitter that made him one of baseball's best pitchers.
'I'm the sourdough starter'

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TORONTO - Amid the cleats and clutter of Bowden Francis' locker sit two bags. When Francis walks into the clubhouse on his start days, the Toronto Blue Jays' team chef knows exactly what to do. He grabs the bags, takes them into the kitchen, and pulls out the round loaves of sourdough bread. A few slices later, there's a spread set out in the training room for Toronto's players and staff. What started as a treat morphed into tradition - and perhaps a little superstition.
Daulton Varsho's new swing, Anthony Santander's search and more

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

Don't worry, Leafs fans, there's another show in town. But this one didn't win Sunday, either. The Toronto Blue Jays dropped a second straight series, falling 3-2 to the Detroit Tigers in Sunday's finale. Toronto worked back from an early deficit but couldn't concoct another comeback win, falling to 22-24 on the season.
Comebacks are the difference for the 2025 Blue Jays

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Mitch Bannon

TORONTO - The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays are adamant they're different. Toronto added a switch-hitting slugger, a Gold Glove second baseman, a Hall of Fame pitcher, and two new hitting coaches in the offseason. It was the kind of roster change required after a 74-88 season that saw Toronto finish last in the American League East. But the biggest contrast isn't on the 26-man roster or the coaching staff, the players say. It's a feeling.