The good news ends right about there. After a comprehensive pasting from the Tampa Bay Rays, an 8-2 result that was every bit as unflattering as the scoreline, the Jays exited the postseason in a two-game sweep. After two days of controversy over whether Toronto management erred in deciding to hold ace starter Hyun-Jin Ryu out of Game 1, he succeeded only in proving that maybe they should have held him out longer.
And the answer to that is hard to suss out, given their bizarre circumstances in this bizarre season in this most bizarre of years. They played home dates at a minor-league park in Buffalo, and lived out of hotels for two straight months. They had injury problems, as did many teams in a season that was stopped in spring training by a pandemic and then restarted months later in a mad panic to try to squeeze a vague semblance of a season in to fulfill television obligations.
Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates hitting a double during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.The playoff appearance, however brief, likely buys Shapiro and Atkins time to try to turn the Jays from a team with promise into one that is a regular contender.
Their pitching staff/bullpen is held together with spit and glue, so...probably no.