Jose Bautista certainly knows a thing or two about playing in big games during the postseason.
The Toronto Blue Jays franchise icon played in 20 playoff games over the course of his 15 years in the big leagues, and led the team to back-to-back American League Championship Series appearances in 2015-16.
His three-run homer against the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, and the ensuing bat flip that came along with it, remain the stuff of legend in Toronto, but with all of the triumphs those teams have been celebrated for, they never came as close to winning the World Series as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and company have this season.
Entering Friday, the Blue Jays lead the series 3-2 and are on the precipice of their first title in 32 years, but face a tall task in Game 6 against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“He’s certainly had success, not only [against] us, but the whole playoffs,” Bautista told TSN 1050’s First Up ahead of Game 6. “Hopefully he’s a little tired because he’s thrown complete games back-to-back, but I’m sure the guys are dissecting the video and they’re going to make adjustments.
“They are going to know how they’ve been feeling and they’re going to compare that to how they’ve been pitched to. Hopefully they are successful in making those adjustments.”
In a rotation filled with All-Stars, Yamamoto has been the driving force for Los Angeles all postseason long, pitching to a minuscule 1.57 earned run average over 28.2 innings pitched in October.
The Japanese import neutralized the Jays offence in Game 2 to the tune of one run on four hits while striking out eight, becoming the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to author back-to-back complete games in the postseason.
Yamamoto masterfully utilized his six-pitch arsenal in that start, weathering the storm early before retiring 20 consecutive Blue Jay batters to close out the Game 2 victory for Los Angeles.
The stakes will be even higher when he takes the mound on Friday as he’s tasked with keeping the Dodgers’ season alive.
“I think, more importantly, we need to have people on base and put the pressure on a guy like [Yamamoto]. He was certainly attacking the strike zone early, and then making guys chase. Whatever they can do, whether it’s knocking a few hits, getting some base runners going, or hopefully his command is a little off and we can manage a few walks.
“Either way, I think the key to the game tonight is going to be creating traffic. We know these guys can come through in the big moments because they’ve been doing it all year. I’m sure somebody will again tonight.”
Ahead of Game 6, the Blue Jays lineup should be buoyed by the return of George Springer, who has missed the past two contests while dealing with side discomfort.
Springer smacked a double off Yamamoto to lead off the bottom of the first in Game 2, but was stranded on third base as the Blue Jays missed an early opportunity to jump on the star right-hander in the early-goings.
Like Bautista, Springer is no stranger to coming up big in the postseason.
The 12-year veteran earned the 2017 World Series MVP while leading the Houston Astros to a seven-game series victory over the Dodgers, and has continued his heroics into this year’s postseason for the Blue Jays.
Springer clubbed a three-run shot in the late stages of Game 7 of the ALCS to help Toronto win the pennant over the Seattle Mariners while Bautista watched on from the stands.
“Well it was a certainly a different point of view for me,” he said. “I can’t say that I experienced my bat flip from the stands, or that I was paying attention to the crowd’s reaction because I was running the bases, but if it was anything near what George’s was, that is unbelievable.
“The building felt like it was going to come apart and it was certainly loud in there. What a great moment for him to hit that home run. In that specific moment of the game, of the series. It was huge. I was enjoying it just like a regular fan, just like everybody watching.”
Bautista will once again be in the building for Game 6, and will get the chance to watch the team that inducted him into their Ring of Honour last season clinch its first World Series title since 1993.
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