This one was baIts amazing how the outlook on the Blue Jays has changed, and how energized the fan base has become over the past 48 hours. And its all due to the performances of two rookie right handers. Aaron Sanchez delivered two electrifying perfect innings of relief in the Jays 6-4 win over Boston in his Major League debut on Wednesday night. Then his good buddy Marcus Stroman followed that up with six no-hit innings against the Bosox Thursday afternoon and went seven innings of one-hit ball overall in Torontos 8-0 victory that gave them the series three out of four. Suddenly the Jays look like a threat in the AL East again as they head out on a crucial 10-game, three-city road swing through New York, Boston, and Houston. Reflecting back on Sanchezs performance, I decided to look back at the first Major League appearances of four of Torontos top homegrown starting pitchers and a closer who started elsewhere, but blossomed into a star with the Blue Jays. Lefty Jimmy Key debuted with the Jays on April 6, 1984 at Anaheim. He was like Sanchez, broken in as a reliever with a starting role as the near term goal. That day in Anaheim starter Doyle Alexander lasted only four and a third innings. One reliever later Key entered the game with an 8-5 lead. He proceeded to pitch three and a third near flawless innings and the Jays went on to win 11-5. Key was awarded his first major league victory because the scorer ruled him to have been the most effective Jays pitcher on the day, which he certainly was. The following year, Key made it into the starting rotation and went on to have a stellar career with the Blue Jays, Yankees and Orioles. Its a shame he couldnt have been a Blue Jays lifer. He was 22 years and 350 days old when he made his first appearance for the Blue Jays. Chris Carpenter was even younger when he first took to the mound for the Jays on May 12, 1997 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. He was just 22 years and 15 days old when he faced the Minnesota Twins. Carpenter started and got rocked. He only lasted three innings, giving up eight hits and seven runs, five of those earned. He also walked three and struck out five. The Twins pounded out 20 hits on that day and hammered the Jays 12-2. Ironically, former Jays catcher Greg Myers was behind the plate for the Twins, and went 4 for 5 with two runs batted in. Carpenter wasnt fazed by that humbling beginning. He was a solid contributor to the Jays rotation until he left for St. Louis as a free agent. There, he developed into a star and won a couple of World Series titles. Dave Stieb was the Blue Jays first star pitcher. His first start, like that of Carpenter, was nothing to write home about. The converted outfielder took to the mound as a Blue Jay for the first time on June 29, 1979. He was only 21 years and 342 days old when he faced Baltimore at old Memorial Stadium. His catcher that day was Bob Davis. Stieb pitched pretty well through five innings, gave up just three runs and was locked in a fairly tight pitchers duel with Os lefty Scott McGregor. But it all came undone for Stieb in the bottom of the 6th, when third baseman Doug DeCinces touched him for a two-run homer and the "Big Bopper" Lee May followed with a solo shot. Stieb was done after six and the Orioles won the game 6-1 in a tidy one hour and 56 minutes. Stieb went on to finish 8-8 that season with 4.31 ERA. He pitched 129.1 innings, striking out 52 and walking 48 on a bad Blue Jays team. That was only the beginning though for "Sir David" as the late great Jim Hunt dubbed him. He went on to become arguably the best homegrown pitcher in Blue Jays history alongside Roy Halladay. "Doc" Halladay, who retired as a Blue Jay back in the spring, debuted on September 20, 1998 at Tropicana Field against Tampa Bay. I was in the ballpark that night, but honestly remember very little about it, or the significance of it being Halladays first game. The Jays were on the third leg of an 11-game, four-city trip that would see them go 4-7 and fall out of contention in the AL East. Halladay may have even been given the start, because the team was out of it. Roy was 21 years and 129 days old, the youngest of the four starters Ive mentioned. He went five innings and allowed eight hits, three runs - two earned - walked two and struck out five. The Jays ultimately won 7-5 in 12 innings, their only victory in that series as I recall. The funny thing about that game is the reliever who picked up Halladay that night was none other than Dave Stieb, who made a one-year comeback in 1998 as a reliever and spot starter. It was his second-last Major League appearance. He went 2.2 innings, giving up one unearned run on two hits while walking two and striking out three. It was the only time the two greatest homegrown starting pitchers appeared in the same game for the Blue Jays. Most fans remember Halladays second start with crystal clear clarity. On September 27 at the then-SkyDome Halladay pitched a complete game one-hitter versus Detroit. Pinch hitter Bobby Higginson slammed a home run to left-centre with two out in the top of the ninth to ruin the no-hit bid. Halladay and the Jays hung on to win 2-1. Though he didnt come up through the Blue Jays organization, I still believe "the Terminator" Tom Henke had the most hyped and anticipated debut in Blue Jays history. He was the closer the Blue Jays needed to get over the top in 1985. His first four years in the Texas organization hadnt panned out and the Jays got him as compensation for losing veteran DH Cliff Johnson to the Rangers as a free agent. Henke started the year at Triple-A Syracuse and his legend grew with every save. He finally was called up when it became clear Bill Caudill wasnt the answer in short relief. Henkes first appearance came on July 29 at Baltimore. Henke took over from Jimmy Key to start the 9th in a 3-3 tie in front of a jam-packed house of 41,599. He mowed down the Os in the 9th, but walked a batter in the 10th. With two down Henke got Cal Ripken Jr. to fly out to Jesse Barfield, who was playing centre in one of the deepest parts of the park. After a sigh of relief, Henke joined the celebration as he picked up the win in his first Major League appearance. The Jays went 36-25 the rest of the way with Henke as the closer. They set a franchise record with 99 wins and made it to the post-season for the first time. Well find out over the next few years if Stroman and Sanchez will write their own glorious chapters in Blue Jays history. After what theyve shown this week I cant see either one being traded before next weeks July 31 non-waiver deadline.
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Wholesale Jordans Authentic . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone.
Discount Jordan Shoes .C. - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick headlines this years electees into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.SALT LAKE CITY -- Luol Deng better be ready to run because Kyrie Irving thinks the Cleveland Cavaliers play best when they play fast. Irving shines in the open court and says the Cavaliers can win if they can run. They got out on the break Friday night, and Irving had 25 points and eight assists in a 113-102 victory over the Utah Jazz. "We were just feeding off of one anothers energy. We picked up our pace on both ends of the floor. We got multiple stops and that led out to our fast-break points," Irving said. In Dengs first game with the Cavaliers, Irving scored 17 points in the third quarter to turn a three-point deficit into a 15-point lead as Cleveland snapped Utahs season-high four-game home winning streak. Deng had 10 points in his Cleveland debut. "He may have tried to press too much, but we want him to get in his rhythm with the rest of us," Irving said. The rest of the Cavs were certainly in a rhythm against Utah, one game after scoring 111 points against Philadelphia. The NBAs worst-shooting team hit 54 per cent against the Jazz, including 63 per cent in the second half. "We kept preaching to our guys to push the pace, push the pace, push the pace," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said after his players set a season high with 39 third-quarter points. Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 15 rebounds, while C.J. Miles and Dion Waiters each scored 17 to help the Cavs win their first road game since a 109-100 victory in Orlando on Dec. 13. Playing without leading scorer Gordon Hayward, sidelined by a strained hip, the Jazz were paced by Richard Jeffersons 18 points. Trey Burke had 17 points and six assists, but picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter right before Irving sparked Clevelands key surge. "I started being more aggressive and taking advantage of what they were giving me," said Irving, who missed three games with a bruised knee but has returned with extra energy and a sharp touch. Shooting 43 per cent on the season, he was 6 of 9 in the win Tuesday against Philadelphia and then made all three of his 3-point attempts against the Jazz. After a root canal Thursday, Irving showed no ill effects as he scored from a variety of spots on the floor and pushed the Cavaliers to 21 fast-break points. "In the first half, I was just too slow. Playing fast not only helps me, it helps the team. Everybody wass running the lane, everybodys running for easy baskets and thats what we need," Irving said.dddddddddddd Deng played more than nine seasons with the Chicago Bulls and was an All-Star the past two before he was acquired Tuesday for Andrew Bynum and three future draft picks. Averaging 19 points and 6.9 rebounds in Chicago, Deng appeared to be searching to find his place in the Cleveland offence as he played only 21 minutes and had four turnovers. "Its been so strange. Even coming in today and getting the jersey on and seeing it say Cavaliers, it hit me again. But I looked in the mirror and checked the colours out and it looked pretty good," Deng said. Hayward, coming off a career-high 37 points, missed his first game this season because of a muscle strain in his left hip flexor. He will be a game-time decision Monday against Denver. This one was back and forth with 14 lead changes and 11 ties until Irving and the Cavaliers took charge in the third quarter. "He got his rhythm and hes that kind of player. He decided to take it upon himself to pick it up there and we didnt match his intensity," Utah coach Ty Corbin said. Trailing 49-46 at halftime, the Cavaliers started the third with a 10-2 run to take a 56-51 lead. When Burke was whistled for his fourth foul and headed to the bench, the Jazz were down 65-62. Irving took full advantage and scored 17 points, including consecutive 3-pointers, in the third quarter to spark another Cleveland run. Jarrett Jack, who has been bothered by back spasms, capped a 15-2 surge with a 3-pointer and a jumper to make it 87-70. "Obviously, Kyrie Irving got going. His team feeds off of him, and once he hit a couple of 3s and got to the line, thats when they went on a run," Burke said. Miles, after scoring a season-high 34 points and setting a Cavaliers record for 3s in a game with 10, kept up his strong shooting by going 6 of 7. Miles played his first seven years in Utah and greeted Corbin with a warm embrace just before the opening tip. NOTES: The Cavaliers had lost six in a row at Utah before winning the last two. ... After starting 1 of 6 from the field, Utah F Marvin Williams took off the face mask hes been wearing since he broke his nose in November and played without it. ... Anderson Varejao had two points and 14 rebounds for the Cavs, who outrebounded the Jazz 45-34.
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