The Toronto Blue Jays kicked off their 2023 season with a thrilling 10-9 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals. The game was truly a back and forth affair, with both teams combining for 34 hits and 19 runs, making it a perfect game for fans who love offensive displays.

However, for Blue Jays fans who are looking beyond the season opener, Toronto’s pitching performance may have caused some concern. Alek Manoah was chosen to start the game, but his performance was less than ideal. Over 3.1 innings, he gave up nine hits, five earned runs, and two home runs, with only three strikeouts and two walks.

Unfortunately, the bullpen didn’t fare much better. Tim Mazya didn’t even record an out, giving up three hits and one earned run. Anthony Bass pitched 1.1 innings with one hit, one walk, and one earned run surrendered. Things seemed to be looking up when Yimi Garcia was brought in during the eighth inning to preserve the Blue Jays’ 8-7 lead. However, Garcia ended up giving up two earned runs and one walk, putting the Cardinals ahead 8-9 heading into the ninth.

Fortunately for Toronto’s pitching staff, their hitters were on point during the game. George Springer had a great game with five hits, including a clutch hit that tied the game 9-9 in the top of the ninth inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a sac fly to put the Blue Jays ahead 10-9 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Thankfully, Toronto’s closer Jordan Romano was ready for opening day. He cruised through all three batters in just 12 pitches and recorded his first save of the season. Zach Pop, Erik Swanson, Adam Cimber, and Romano gave the rest of the pitching staff a much-needed break, giving up no runs for Toronto. 

Despite the win, it’s clear that Toronto’s pitching staff needs to show more consistency going forward. It’s unlikely that the team will be able to rely on their hitters to outscore their opponents by ten runs every game, so the pitching staff will need to step up and improve their performance.

I am  Nowhere Near Ready to Panic About The Blue Jays Pitchers 

As a baseball fan, I don’t get carried away with anything that happens on Opening Day. Baseball is unlike any other sport, where any team has the potential to win on any given day. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blue Jays win 10-9 on Thursday and then lose 1-0 on Saturday. That’s baseball.

Although Alek Manoah didn’t have his best performance on Opening Day, I am confident that he will bounce back. Known as a location pitcher, I don’t believe he will consistently miss his spots throughout the season. Additionally, the bullpen wasn’t great, but they were put under a lot of pressure early on. John Schneider had no choice but to make some changes, and I was pleased when Pop came into the game in the fourth inning and immediately forced a double play and minimized the damage. 

Romano, on the other hand, looked like a closer right out of the gates, and he did exactly what was expected of him. Garcia may have had a rough start, but there are still 161 games left in the season, and I refuse to lose faith in Yimi after just one game.

I am nowhere near ready to panic about the Blue Jays pitchers. It’s too early in the season, and we still have plenty of games left to play. Let’s revisit this topic at the All-Star break, where we should have a better understanding of who the Blue Jays really are.