Manager John Gibbons said he can see a lot in common between Ryan Borucki, the precocious Toronto Blue Jays rookie pitcher, and Mark Buehrle, a former favoured hand who stepped away from the game three years ago.
Both pitchers are left-handed, so the similarities start there, Gibbons noted. And, like Buehrle, Borucki likes to work fast and will never overwhelm with velocity as much as with precision – another Buehrle trademark.
“Much slimmer than old Buerl,” Gibbons cracked. “Probably doesn’t drink as much beer.”
Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher Ryan Borucki made his second big league start Monday against the Detroit Tigers.Fred Thornhill/The Canadian Press
Borucki also wears No. 56 in homage to the former pitcher he has never met, but always admired. And on Monday afternoon at Rogers Centre he turned in a quality performance that Buehrle most certainly would have admired.
Alas for the Blue Jays (39-45), it came during a 3-2 loss in 10 innings against the Detroit Tigers (38-48), who won the final two games of the four-game series to earn a split.
But in a season in which the Blue Jays are desperate to uncover any silver lining – bronze even – Borucki is starting to become a feel-good story, even if his major-league career is only two starts.
As the 24-year-old wisely noted, he has a lot of ground to cover to match the 200-plus wins that the irascible Buehrle tallied in 16 seasons.
“If I could have a career that that guy had, I’d be doing something right,” Borucki said.
A few more outings like Monday’s would be a good step.
After a rough start in the first inning Borucki was able to compose himself, limiting the Tigers to two runs off six hits in seven innings.
He also had eight strikeouts, which puts him in some pretty select company. The eight K’s tied him with Roy Halladay for second most by a Blue Jays pitcher making their first major-league home start. Jose Nunez, with 11 in 1987 against the Kansas City Royals, leads that pack.
Borucki, who showed considerable promise in his first start last week in a losing effort against the Houston Astros, also joined Halladay as the only pitchers in team history with eight strikeouts and no walks in their first two Major League Baseball games.
“Another impressive outing for Borucki,” Gibbons said. “He’s a pitcher, he’s not just out there heaving it. He’s a pitcher, with a great change-up.”
After surrendering a run off four singles in the first inning, Borucki retired the next 13 batters he faced heading into the sixth inning.
Borucki turned the game over to his bullpen in the eighth inning with the Tigers holding a 2-1 lead.
Toronto tied it in the ninth when Detroit reliever Joe Jimenez walked pinch-hitter Justin Smoak with the bases loaded to force in the tying run and send the game into extras.
Detroit won it in the 10th with Seunghwan Oh on the mound for Toronto.
The winning rally began when Niko Goodrum crunched a one-out triple to the power alley in right-centre with one out. Jose Iglesias stroked a sacrifice fly to right to send in the winning run.
Detroit starter Mike Fiers was almost untouchable, limiting Toronto to three hits through eight innings.
The game also featured a Kendrys Morales sighting at third base to start the top of the 10th inning, the first time he has played that position.
That unfamiliarity became obvious when Morales had a different glove delivered to him at the bag after the inning had started.
Morales is usually Toronto’s designated hitter and backup first baseman. However, Gibbons had nobody else available to play the corner spot after he sent in Devon Travis to pinch-run for Yangervis Solarte in the bottom of the ninth.
Russell Martin, who was on the bench, was unavailable because of a sore knee.
Before Monday’s game, the Blue Jays announced they were recalling infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from their triple-A affiliate in Buffalo and he got the start at second base, going 1-for-4. Gibbons said he expects the 24-year-old rookie to receive a lot of playing time, another sign that the Blue Jays have their sights more on the future than the present.
Borucki grew up in Illinois and was a big fan of the Chicago White Sox, where Buehrle spent most of his career.
“I got to watch him a lot growing up when I was in Chicago, I was a White Sox fan,” Borucki said. “So I did take a lot of parts from his game and put them into mine.
“Hopefully I can live up to what he’s done.”
The Blue Jays certainly hope so.