Blue Jays 2015 Year End Awards: Play of the Year

Blue Jays fans had to be impressed with the play they saw from the team this year. After watching too many instances of Jose Reyes wave at balls he would have gotten to before, Marco Scutaro getting eaten up by grounders or Juan Francisco throwing a ball over the head of Adam Lind, followers were craving plays that could be cheered. Plays that would remind them why they enjoyed baseball. 2015 provided them.

From Kevin Pillar and his diving catches, to Troy Tulowitzki and his spatula glove’s quick flips and Munenori Kawasaki‘s promise of a good old fashioned Canadian bush party, many Blue Jays contributed to the memories that will be treasured as new fans grow old and bandwagon fans have found a new team to root for (early money is on the Mariners).

The Jays Journal writers have parsed through the season that was and chosen their three favorite plays made on the field by Blue Jays this season. All manner of play were considered, be it hitting, fielding or throwing, and in the end, one of each were chosen for this top 3. Let’s relive some of the best plays of 2015…

Next: Honorable Mention: A Play From a Player Not Seen Often Enough

Honorable Mention: 06/27 – Devon Travis Bails Out Matt Boyd

One of the reasons Devon Travis endeared himself to Blue Jays fans was with his youthful aggressive approach both at the plate and on the field. More often than not, instead of taking the safe play at 1st base, Travis would rely on Jose Reyes to come over and be ready for an attempt to gun down the lead runner instead. Travis was successful most of the time, preventing any advancement on a ground out if he could help it. Even if he had to prevent his teammates from harming their own cause.

June 24th marked the MLB debut of Matt Boyd and it was an inauspicious one at that. The young lefty gave up four runs over six and a third innings, and it could have been worse given the way he handled a comeback grounder from Mitch Moreland in the sixth.

Boyd fielded and turned to try and erase lead runner Adrian Beltre but his throw was as useful as the 28 pitches he would throw against the Red Sox in his next start. Heading into center field, Travis managed to cut the throw off and still have time to get it out of his glove and retire Beltre. An adept flip from a player the Tigers wanted to stick in the outfield.

Next: Runner-Up: Derek Jeter Eats His Heart Out

Runner-Up: 06/24 – Josh Donaldson‘s MVP Campaign Takes Flight

Marco Estrada, as per usual during the 2015 season, was pitching a gem against the Tampa Bay Rays. This particular one was of the perfect game variety through seven innings, and although the Blue Jays hadn’t come up with any offense to support Estrada, it felt like there was a chance the Rays would fall victim to yet another perfect performance.

With cleanup hitter David DeJesus leading off the 8th, and that phrase alone telling exactly why the Rays were so comically bad at the plate, Estrada pitched to a full count before DeJesus fouled off a changeup that looked like it would extend the at bat. Josh Donaldson had other plans.

Aiming for a friendly pocket of Blue Jays fans along the foul line, Donaldson tracked the slicing ball and dove into the stands. Using a sunglasses-sporting larger fellow as a landing pad, the Bringer of Rain hauled in the catch to the delight of his teammates. At the time, it seemed to be the equivalent of the Dewayne Wise catch in Mark Buehrle‘s perfect game. Of course Logan Forsythe would break up the bid in the next at bat with an infield single, but the play remained etched in the minds of Blue Jays fans and stood out as the play of the regular season.

Next: 2015 Winner Best Play: The Reason 'Regular' Is In That Last Sentence