TORONTO — Alejandro Kirk had a chance to deliver a special moment when he stepped in as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and the Blue Jays down four Saturday afternoon, but even the Blue Jays’ most productive hitter couldn’t pull off the necessary miracle. He swung.
With that, an emotional day ended with another one-sided defeat for the Blue Jays. On the field, the team’s tilt was hit hard once again en route to a 7-3 loss. But more important than the game itself, the Blue Jays organization is mourning the loss of Julia Budzinski, daughter of first base coach Mark, who died Saturday at age 17.
“This tragedy reminds us what is more important in life,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “As a father and husband, my heart breaks for Bud.”
“It’s got to be every parent’s worst nightmare,” starter Ross Stripling added. “We feel for him, we love him, we miss him. Obviously we want him to be home with his family and we’ll see him whenever that is. We want him to take as much time as he needs.
The loss resonated so deeply in the Blue Jays clubhouse that the idea of not playing was floated. But the Blue Jays ended up playing, losing their third straight game to the Rays.
A six-run fifth inning by the Rays effectively put the game out of reach for the Blue Jays, who welcomed 35,757 fans to Rogers Center on a perfect day for baseball. Harold Ramirez’s home run chased starter Ross Stripling from the game with the score still 4-1, but Trent Thornton struggled from the jump, allowing a home run to Ji-Man Choi, a single to Isaac Paredes and another home run to Randy Arozarena.
By the time Thornton finally induced a Kevin Kiermaier groundout to escape the inning, the damage was done, and for the Blue Jays, that theme was all too familiar this weekend. After starting the five-game streak with a pair of convincing wins, the Blue Jays were swept in Saturday’s doubleheader with questions about the pitching staff coming up in each game.
Kevin Gausman took a 100 mph drive off his ankle in the opener, questioning his fitness for his next start. Credit to Casey Lawrence for his effort in relief, but he still allowed six runs. And while that sounds like a lot, it’s a lot better than what Thomas Hatch has to offer on Saturday night. Making his season debut, the right-hander allowed 10 runs on 12 hits, exposing the lack of starting pitching depth beyond the team’s starting five.
In that context, the Rays’ three home runs in the fifth inning hurt a little more than usual. Although Thornton has dealt with some big misses this season, the Blue Jays should have exposed him to more high-leverage situations than even. This time it backfired.
Before the game The Blue Jays observed a moment of silence before the game today for Julia Budzinski. It seemed like every player, coach and staff member on both teams lined up for a moment of silence — a rarity for a regular-season game that shows respect for the Budzinski family. Thornton and teammate David Phelps were visibly emotional as the team stood for a moment of silence.
“It’s really hard,” Stripling said. “I bet none of us have ever been in a situation where someone so close to home has such a tragic loss. It hits everyone a little differently, especially those of us with kids. It definitely weighed on us… He weighed on everyone’s hearts today.”
On Saturday night, when the news first reached the Blue Jays, Montoyo immediately decided he needed to be with Budzinski, leaving the game management to John Schneider and others to offer some support.
“The moment it happened, my heart goes out to Bud,” Montoyo said. “The game? We have enough coaches who can do a good job, so my job was to be with Mark.”
“There are good men and great men,” added Montoyo. “He’s a great guy. You would suffer for anyone, but he is a special person. brave. All I can share about what happened is that even before he left, he wrote me a note to read to the team as we go through this tragedy. That tells you everything about Mark Budzinski.
The Blue Jays closed their clubhouse to the media after Saturday’s game to inform the players of the news. On Sunday morning, the team officially announced the news.
“This devastating loss is felt throughout our organization, and we grieve with Bud and his family,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement issued by the team. “I have known Bud for over 25 years and have always admired his dedication as a father and husband. He is loved and respected by our entire club and holds a special place in all of our hearts.”
With Budzinski away from the team, bullpen catcher Luis Hurtado continued to practice first base on Sunday. Internally, the Blue Jays are working out the details of how coaching assignments will be reassigned while Budzinski is away from his typical first base and defensive outfield duties.
From here, the Blue Jays head west for three games in Oakland and four more in Seattle. Once out west, they’ll learn more about Gausman’s ankle condition and try to pick up some wins against an Athletics team that has already lost 54 times. If nothing else, they’ll gain some ground from a weekend that ended badly. At this point, they could probably use it.
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