Jays enjoying one of top starts to season
Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:53 am
The Blue Jays are going to enjoy this run while it lasts. Toronto entered this season without the high expectations that were placed on the club in recent seasons, but the group is off to one of its best starts this decade.
With a win over the Indians on Saturday, the Blue Jays improved to 5-1, representing the best opening run since the franchise began the 2001 campaign with an identical record. If Toronto wins on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep over Cleveland, the Jays would move to a 6-1 mark for the first time since 1994.
Cito Gaston, who took over as Toronto's manager last June, found it surprising that it's been so long since the Jays had a similar hot start.
"It is [a shock]," Gaston said. "The last couple of years, I think this team missed a great opportunity. With the starters that they had, all they had to do was hit just a little bit. They would've probably been in the playoffs or whatever. If you go back and look at it last year, if they just played to what we played at the end, they would've been there.
"We won, what, 86 games last year? If they just put seven more with that -- that's not tough is it? -- and they're in the playoffs. The year before, they had the same kind of offensive team, they just didn't produce, either. I think it's just been the offense hasn't been good."
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