The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a nightmare stretch, and their misery reached new heights in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Mariners.
Trailing 4-1 in the fifth inning, Blue Jays pitcher David Phelps sparked a comeback that should have ended a bases-loaded threat. Phelps threw home for the initial out, then catcher Gabriel Moreno fired to first base for what would have been an inning-ending double play to keep the Mariners off the board in the frame.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s glove had other ideas.
When the ball arrived at first base, it went right through Guerrero Jr.’s skin, leading to a run for Seattle. The Mariners would tack on another run in the inning and ended up winning 6-5 to complete a four game sweep.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time this season that Guerrero Jr.’s glove has been removed while receiving a ball at first base. The All-Star also blew his glove, catching a throw by Santiago Espinal in a June 13 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“It was a game changer,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said, per Sportsnet’s Shea Davidi . “And it’s just bloody lucky. I’ve seen it twice this whole year, and it doesn’t usually happen to the same person twice. But it did.”
Sunday’s equipment failure ended a terrible road trip for the reeling Blue Jays, who went 1-6 through Oakland and Seattle to fall out of a playoff spot (the Mariners own the tiebreaker, as the teams are tied for the final wild-card spot at 45-42). Toronto has lost nine of its last 10 games.
“This whole journey is a bit of Murphy’s Law, isn’t it? If anything can go wrong, it has,” Phelps said.
An equipment malfunction ended up costing the Blue Jays dearly on Sunday. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays failed to create any division in the standings. The three teams’ collective struggles have allowed the rest of the American League to catch up, including the Orioles, who are just two games behind the Blue Jays.
The story continues
Toronto will have the day off on Monday before welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals to Rogers Center for the final stretch before the All-Star break.
Blue Jays fans will be hoping Guerrero Jr. can find a reliable glove by then.
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