Toronto Blue Jays in Turmoil Both On AND Off the Field

As the Toronto Blue Jays battle through a lacklustre September, they also find themselves involved in a conflict with the local media.

Everything had looked so promising for the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of August. They were two games clear at the top of their division and well-positioned to challenge for the best record in the AL, which would secure home field advantage throughout the postseason.

Then September happened.

It started badly enough, with a series loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Rays, followed by a sweep in New York. Unfortunately for fans hoping it was just a minor blip, things went from bad to worse, with the month ending on two morale-sapping losses to the Baltimore Orioles and a 5-3 defeat in Boston.

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Now, the Blue Jays find themselves in the second wild card spot, with the very real possibility they may miss the postseason altogether. This wasn’t how it was meant to turn out.

Edwin Encarnacion was particularly distraught after the 4-0 loss to the Orioles on Thursday night. Set to become a free agent after the season, he realized he might have just played his last home game in Toronto.

Speaking to Sportsnet‘s Shi Davidi and the rest of the media, Encarnacion said: “I was just thinking about the game we lost.

“I want to come back here again, one more time, I don’t want to leave here like that. I want to come back here to the playoffs and give everything I’ve got to the fans.”

The Blue Jays’ most recent losing streak couldn’t have come at a worse time. With two games remaining, they find themselves barely above water, with the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners snapping at their heels.

Encarnacion is fully aware: “We have to keep our heads up and keep doing the best things we can do to help the team win games. … We know what we have to do for where we want to go.

“Everybody here has a lot of experience. We need to turn things around to be where we want to be.”

The question is, why has it all gone wrong recently? One possible theory relates to a current issue the Blue Jays are contending with in the locker room – more specifically, the local media.

Rumblings of discontent were already out there unofficially. However, it was Steve Buffery who took it upon himself to formally announce the conflict between the Blue Jays’ players and the media.

Sep 26, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) gestures for players on New York Yankees to calm down during a bench clearing incident in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

The Toronto Sun journalist shared his thoughts in a column on Thursday, and it certainly made for interesting reading. He explained how someone had put up photos of two Toronto sports writers with a ‘X’ scratched on their faces, along with a message effectively saying not to grant them interviews.

Another example of the standoff has seen the music being cranked up in the clubhouse, just as the media arrives for pre-game interviews. This has apparently happened more than a couple of times.

Buffery also shared the incident of how Roberto Osuna recently kept blowing off a couple of journalists, who were trying to convince him to do an interview. In the end, one reported followed the closer into a private part of the clubhouse and told him off.

Of course, this is only one side of the story. Throw in the fact that fans often generally side with the players in cases like this and no one is going to feel sorry for the media.

Certainly, this is entirely understandable. Journalists complain about getting clichéd responses to questions, despite the irony of the questions themselves often lacking original thought.