Blue Jays fans point finger at Game 1 umpire
Toronto hitters leave 8 runners stranded in shutout loss
After averaging 6.8 runs per game in the ALDS, the Jays' bats went cold in Cleveland on Friday night.
Ice cold.
Looking like they would get something going early, Toronto left runner after runner stranded on base. They finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight on base in total.
Jays have had two runners on base in each of the first three innings of this game and failed to score all three times. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/facepalm?src=hash">#facepalm</a>
—@Curtos07While much of the pregame talk was of offence, Game 1 was all about pitching.
Cleveland ace Corey Kluber and two other Indians pitchers combined on the shutout.
Marco Estrada struck out six over eight innings for Toronto, giving up a two-run home run to Francisco Lindor in the sixth for Cleveland's only score.
Crowd reaction to that Lindor home run <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RallyTogether?src=hash">#RallyTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/EKaq1TxRkC">pic.twitter.com/EKaq1TxRkC</a>
—@WEWSLate in the game, home plate umpire Laz Diaz started trending on Twitter.
Fans seemed unhappy with a number of his calls, though neither team seemed to gain any significant advantage because of them.
This is where Perez caught the ball for strike 3 on Upton. What an ump show. <a href="https://t.co/RPLm1aZ677">pic.twitter.com/RPLm1aZ677</a>
—@TdotsFinest11Prediction: Sometime tonight, Laz Diaz will call a strike before the pitcher lets the ball go.
—@LottOnBaseballYou can blame the ump all you want, but at the end of the day, they Jays left several runners on base (0/5 with RISP) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TBJLive?src=hash">#TBJLive</a>
—@thenickster15A frustrated Edwin Encarnacion went toe-to-toe with Diaz in the eighth after striking out, bringing manager John Gibbons out of the dugout, though both managed to avoid ejection.
The Blue Jays have had enough of Laz Diaz. Been chirping all night. Surprised Edwin Encarnacion didn't get run there.
—@JeffPassanLaz Diaz managed to hold back from ejecting Encarnacion, which is the best proof yet the full moon is making everyone insane.
—@JerryBeach73The Jays were also shut out against Kansas City in the Game 1 of the ALCS last season, Marco Estrada on the losing end of a 5-0 score that time. The Jays went on to lose that series 4-2.
Toronto will look to bounce back against Cleveland in Game 2 on Saturday. First pitch is at 4:08 p.m. ET.