Three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and the Toronto Blue Jays going scoreless in the first inning.
At least it’s felt that way of late as the Jays’ woes continued, failing to score in the first for the 29th straight game despite going up against the hapless Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
With yet another zero tabbed on the scoreboard, Toronto now holds sole possession of second place on the all-time leaderboard for first-inning scoreless streaks, per SportRadar.
They’re only two away from tying the 1937 Boston Bees, who set the mark to beat at 31 straight.
Luckily for Toronto, to avoid that historic mark they’ll get to face off against the Oakland Athletics this weekend, who give up the second-highest rate of first-inning runs in MLB, allowing a run 40.63 per cent of the time. Toronto, however, has only scored in the first inning in 12.9 per cent of games this season.
Those numbers didn’t work in their favour on Friday night though as the top three went down in order to A’s lefty Hogan Harris.
Davis Schneider struck out, Justin Turner grounded out and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed suit, resulting in a quick opening frame that’s become all-too-common for Toronto this season.
They last time they saw a first-inning tally on the scoresheet was on May 4 against the Washington Nationals. They broke the franchise record on May 29 against the Chicago White Sox.
Friday was the opening game of the Blue Jays’ weekend series, with Sunday set to be the decisive mark that could see them potentially tie up the 1937 Bees’ all-time record.
To pass them, they’ll have to get blanked by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, June 10.
History awaits.
The Toronto Blue Jays have been facing some challenges in the first inning of their games, resulting in a second-longest scoreless streak in the team’s history. This trend has been a cause for concern among fans and analysts alike, as the team has struggled to get on the board early in games.
One of the main factors contributing to the Blue Jays’ struggles in the first inning is their inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Whether it be failing to get runners on base or not being able to bring them home, the team has been unable to generate the necessary offense to put runs on the board early in games.
Another issue that has plagued the Blue Jays in the first inning is their pitching performance. The team has had difficulty keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard in the opening frame, putting them at a disadvantage right from the start. This has put added pressure on the offense to come from behind, which has proven to be a difficult task for the team.
Despite these challenges, the Blue Jays have shown resilience and determination to break out of their scoring slump. Manager Charlie Montoyo and his coaching staff have been working diligently to address the team’s issues and make adjustments to improve their performance in the first inning.
As the season progresses, it will be crucial for the Blue Jays to find ways to get on the board early in games and break their scoreless streak. With a talented roster and a strong coaching staff, there is hope that the team can turn things around and start putting up runs in the first inning to give themselves a better chance at success.