After winning Game 1 of the World Series in dominant fashion yesterday, the Blue Jays are looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series before heading to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Monday. They’ll do it without their star infielder Beau Bichette Yet in the lineup. That might sound concerning to Jaycees fans considering he’s just coming back from an extended break that stretched from the regular season into the playoffs, but The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon relayed that (per Jaybirds manager John Schneider) the extended break was exactly the reason for today’s break.
“He will definitely be ready to play today,” Bannon paraphrased Schneider’s statement. “But actually, after the layoff, I didn’t want to kill him, you know.”
While Bichette won’t start at second base (or his original position of shortstop) like he did yesterday, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith relays that the infielder is actually feeling better than expected after playing in his first game since early September, and Bichette told Schneider he could come off the bench today. This is great news for the Blue Jays because it means they will have one of the best hitters available if a high-leverage moment occurs at some point in today’s game.
Bichette hit a double and a double in three sets yesterday and finished the regular season slashing .311/.357/.483 in 139 games. Needless to say, it’s better to have him in the starting lineup than to sit him on the bench, but combined with tomorrow’s travel day, today’s decision could allow the Jays to push Bichette even more in the seven-game series. at the same time, Isaiah Keener-Falefa Batted eighth, taking over for Bichette in the second base lineup.
Turning to another injured player, Nicholson-Smith relayed the veteran right-hander’s Chris Bassett Working on a cut/blister on his pitching hand. After hitting the postseason bullpen, Buster is available for any game, including Game 2 tonight. Bassett won’t sit out while the blister heals, which is good news for the Jays, considering he was impressive in three scoreless relief outings this October, but it’s still a concerning update because even minor injuries to a pitching hand can affect grip and command. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Blue Jays tried to avoid using Bassett in high-leverage moments until they were confident in how the blisters affected his skillset.
Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes in Sideline News that Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly may consider calling it a career after reaching the World Series for the first time in his decades-long baseball career. Hyman noted that Mattingly’s friends “Believe retirement is possible” After the season, Mattingly himself did not comment on the matter, but told Heyman “You never know, you never know” when asked about his future. If Mattingly calls it a career, he’ll be one of the most accomplished baseball icons in recent years. He won an MVP award during his 14-year MLB playing career and spent the next 12 years coaching the Dodgers and Marlins, who earned Coach of the Year honors for their successful playoff run in the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 outbreak.
