ANAHEIM -- The Blue Jays’ journey from Phoenix to Anaheim on Sunday didn’t involve a chartered jet or a first-class cabin. Instead, it involved three buses, a five-hour stretch of Interstate 10, and felt a lot more like a scene from the Northwest League than the Major Leagues.
The trouble started around 4 p.m., when a mechanical failure was discovered in the plane’s joystick -- the primary control for takeoffs and landings. The Blue Jays were faced with a choice: wait for a replacement aircraft to fly in from Vancouver, which wouldn't have landed until 10 p.m., or load the 60-person traveling party onto buses for the long trek across I-10.
As often happens in sports, manager John Schneider took the decision to a team vote. The decision to bus passed by roughly 30 votes, as the majority of players preferred to get moving immediately. However, not everyone was thrilled with the outcome; Schneider joked that he was already reprimanded by veteran Max Scherzer, who issued a full-letterhead kangaroo court summons over the travel decision.
"We're going to go to trial," Schneider joked Monday. "But we made the best of it, you know?"
While the rest of the traveling party piled into three buses, the team made one important exception. Starting pitcher Dylan Cease, who was scheduled to lead a rotation currently navigating several significant injury hurdles, went ahead on a commercial flight to ensure he was rested for the series.
The extra rest proved vital Monday night. Cease looked physically aggressive from the jump, carving through the Angels' lineup to the tune of 12 strikeouts over five innings. While he ran into deep counts that pushed his pitch count to 110, his dominance was the foundation of a 5-2 Blue Jays victory.
"I probably got an extra couple hours of sleep compared to the guys," Cease said regarding his solo flight. "Maybe not having to sit in an uncomfortable position for a long time [helped]. A six-hour bus ride would have been like the Minor Leagues. It would have been fine, but I think flying was definitely a little bit better."
Cease’s ability to get strikeouts is a huge help for a Toronto team that is thin on starting pitching right now. With José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Cody Ponce all on the injured list, there isn't much room for error in the rotation. His performance gave the team exactly what it needed to open the series with a win.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. provided the early fireworks in the third inning, launching a 430-foot home run to center field to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. While the Angels quickly tied the game in the bottom half of the frame, the Blue Jays' ability to keep adding runs in the later innings eventually gave the bullpen the breathing room it needed.
Braydon Fisher, Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers and Jeff Hoffman combined for four scoreless innings of relief, with Hoffman striking out three straight batters in the ninth to secure the win. That efficiency followed a night where the rest of the team had been forced to trade hotel rest for the view from a bus window.
"They were great. I mean, all of them," Schneider said. "[Fisher] working around a leadoff walk with a double play, and talked about Louis and then [Rogers] coming in and doing what he does. And [Hoffman], it was, you really, really like the way it lines up when the starter gets through five. You really like it when he gets through six, but everyone kind of fell into their lanes today and did their part."
The ride itself turned into a bonding experience, even if it was a bit cramped. Schneider described sitting surrounded by cases of water and being unable to recline his seat, while third-base coach Carlos Febles snored in the aisles. There was even a brief threat of a team karaoke session, but most of the guys fell asleep before it could start.
"It's just what we needed," Schneider said. "We made the best of it ... and we all got here safer."