Blue Jays spoil Marcus Stroman’s return to the Rogers Centre

Marcus Stroman made his first MLB start of his career as a visitor at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and the Blue Jays spoiled his return after he was out of the game.

The former 22nd pick of the 2012 draft had started against every other MLB team prior to Tuesday night, but never against the Blue Jays. That changed of course, and it was a mostly effective outing for the now 31 year old. He didn’t go deep into the game, but he mostly kept the Blue Jays in check, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks.

Despite Stroman doing his part, the Cubs bullpen was unable to hold the Blue Jays down despite Stroman leaving with a 2-1 lead. The Blue Jays took the lead in the 6th inning on a three-run home run from Teoscar Hernandez, and added on with a solo shot from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 7th. It was another game that felt like the Blue Jays had to work harder than they should have to beat one of the weaker teams in baseball, but thankfully they managed to come away with their second straight win, and will look to sweep the series on Wednesday.

Stroman has had a decent first season with the Cubs after signing a three-year, 71 million dollar pact over this past offseason. After last night’s no-decision he’s now 3-6 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP over 19 starts, covering 101.2 innings. Prior to moving to Chicago, Stroman pitched for the New York Mets from 2019 to 2021, missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Before that, he spent 5.5 season with the Blue Jays, and came up through their minor league system.

As a Blue Jay Stroman was a key part of the rotation during their playoff push in 2015-16, and was even the staff ace in Toronto for a while. He finished his Blue Jays’ tenure with a 47-45 record, a 3.76 ERA and a 1.278 WHIP across 129 starts, and six relief appearances as well.

It was unfortunate that the split between Stroman and the Blue Jays wasn’t exactly smooth, but it seems like time has healed most of the wounds from that situation. While I personally wouldn’t have minded one bit if the Blue Jays beat up on the Stro’ Show in his return to the Rogers Centre, getting the win is the important thing. Beyond that, it was a nice evening with a familiar face, and another reminder of how much has changed since the last generation of this team was expected to contend.