It hasn’t always been a season to remember for Bichette. With an increased strikeout rate in comparison to last year, his struggles at the plate have become increasingly tiresome for Blue Jays’ fans down the stretch.
Through Toronto’s first seven games in September, however, it appears that Bichette is ready to silence those critics.
Having already hit five home runs, tallying 14 RBIs, and striking out five times in that seven-game span, Bichette has knocked last September’s totals, to this point, out of the park.
A LITTLE LESS, A LOT MORE
To be clear, it isn’t necessarily Bichette’s actual offensive totals that are making this season look worse than last. In fact, he’s surpassed last summer’s totals to date in home runs and RBIs, while scoring six fewer runs and striking out 27 more times.
Bichette has already surpassed last year’s strikeout total by one (138) and has the same number of strikeouts through seven games as he did last September (five) – he finished with 23 strikeouts in September last season.
Despite equalling those strikeout totals, he’s had himself a September to remember thus far. With the Blue Jays now holding a 4.5 game lead in the American League Wildcard race, his offensive surge couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Jays have 26 games remaining on their schedule with 21 of them against American League teams. Six of those games are against the Wildcard-spot-chasing Baltimore Orioles.
With nine games against the Tampa Bay Rays, including a double-header scheduled next week, things can get very interesting in the American League and its postseason standings.
YANKEES FREEFALL
On July 17, 2022, the Yankees owned a 14.5 game lead on the Blue Jays, holding a record of 64-28. The team looked like a true juggernaut going into the All-Star break.
Only 53 days later, the Yankees are in a downward spiral and have been desperately searching for answers to the abundance of questions that have led them to this point.
The Jays are now only 6.5 games back of the still-AL East favourite New York Yankees, with a three-game series against them at the end of September – a lead that at one point this season seemed insurmountable.
The Blue Jays and Texas Rangers get ready for a three-game series in Arlington over the weekend. Ross Stripling (7-4, 3.03 ERA), Kevin Gausman (11-9, 3.12 ERA), and a pitcher-to-be-named are the scheduled starters for Toronto.
Andrew Stuetz