David Price

Two of the hottest lineups in baseball are slated for a showdown Thursday, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series starting at 3:37 p.m. ET.

The Jays used a consistent attack and a successful trade deadline as fuel to skyrocket themselves to the top of the AL East for the past several months. Toronto accounted for a 48-23 record in the second half. Its offense averaged 5.5 runs per game and led the majors in home runs (232).

Normally, one player stands out as the undisputed key to a team's championship run.

Last year, Madison Bumgarner stepped up and helped lead the San Francisco Giants to a third World Series title in five years.

Before that, David Ortiz launched a monster shot off Joaquin Benoit to help the Boston Red Sox gain momentum, surge past the Detroit Tigers and eventually win a championship.

Can someone put together a similar performance in 2015 and live in postseason lore forever?

Let's take a look at a critical player for each playoff team.

Last October gave us one of the most impressive one-man performances in Major League Baseball postseason history. 

Madison Bumgarner made seven appearances for the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 postseason, and they needed every single inning he gave them as they marched to their third World Series title in five years.

Bumgarner had a 1.03 ERA in 52.2 innings, and his five shutout innings in relief in Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals was one of the more memorable relief outings of any playoffs in the game’s long history.

Small stumbles can be unforgivable offenses when races are so close. 

The slightest advantage this late in the process can be too large to overcome. And if the competition is outpacing everyone else anyway, well then it becomes that man’s race to lose.

Two weeks ago, Marcus Stroman still hadn't thrown a major league pitch this season, yet Alex Anthopoulos already had him in the playoff rotation.

The Toronto Blue Jays general manager is a smart man.

David Price and his cannon arm are enjoying the life with his new team. The Toronto Blue Jays are in command of a wild-card spot in the American League right now with help of an 8-2 run in their last 10 games.

The team is getting hot at the right time. 

For a guy who's never tested free agency, David Price has worn a lot of uniforms.

First, of course, the ace left-hander donned the laundry of the Tampa Bay Rays, the club that grabbed him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Then, for parts of two seasons, Price played for the Detroit Tigers after Tampa Bay shipped him out at the 2014 trade deadline.

You would not be bending any limbs before the season to declare that the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals might be the best teams in their respective divisions.

At least one of those two franchises have appeared in five World Series since 2004, and they faced each other in the 2006 Fall Class with the Cardinals winning it all in five games. And since 2000, they have combined to win 12 division titles, with St. Louis holding eight of those.

David Price left Detroit's game against the Royals on May 8 in the seventh inning after sustaining a hamstring injury. Price suffered the injury slipping on a bat.

Continue for updates.

Price Optimistic of Making Next Start

Saturday, May 9

Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press reported that Price suffered a mild hamstring strain, and his next start will come sometime early next week. 

A team's fortunes over the course of a six-month season typically hinge on more than one factor, but depending on how critical said factor is, that one wild card can affect things greatly.

It can be a good or bad performance. It can be a health issue, for better or worse. It can be how a player bounces back from an injury or a poor previous season. It can even be how a player produces during the ever-important contract year.