Blue Jays: A Long Road to the Show for LHP Matt Gage

On Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays transferred right-hander Nate Pearson to the 60-day injured list, and then they selected the contract of left-hander, Matt Gage, from Buffalo AAA to the 40-man roster.

The road to the show is no joke. In fact, it’s probably the hardest league to navigate and be promoted through in all of sports. The way the game has progressed over the years, there is no longer one main route to attaining an affiliate opportunity or shot at the major league level.  Local ball has evolved to travel ball, travel ball has navigated to scout teams, college and post-college have navigated to independent professional teams, and international ball has become very popular as well.

The newly promoted Blue Jays left-hander has maneuvered quite the way to this point. On the 6th of June, Matt Gage was called on by the Blue Jays in the 9th inning to finalize the win, throwing a perfect 9th with two strikeouts to end the game, with family watching and cheering.

About Blue Jays Matt Gage

The 6’3” lefty out of Johnstown, New York, attended Broadalbin-Perth High School in New York. He then committed and attended Siena College in Loudonville, New York, out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; he played there from 2012-to 2014; while playing in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2013. After going 11-16, striking out 212 hitters, and only walking 95 in his college career (three seasons), his draft stock stood out, resulting in him getting drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 10th round in 2014.

From here, Gage’s baseball reference page shows that he has made 16 stops in various Minor League affiliations over 11 years, with stints in independent ball, in the Atlantic League, and Constellation Energy League as well. He also spent time in the Mexican League and Mexican Winter League prior to getting a roster status change by the Blue Jays in 2021 and assigned to the AAA Buffalo Bisons.

21 stops in various professional capacities, led to a 9th inning full of joy and accomplishment from the left-kid out of upstate New York. Let’s hope Gage sticks around to provide more of those outings!