The Toronto Blue Jays will try to push the ALCS to a Game 7 when they are away to the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. Toronto pitcher David Price will be looking to silence critics and doubters not long after the scheduled 8:07 p.m. ET start time.
There are myths and truths about the supposed postseason struggles had by Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. No such questions about Price's playoff woes exist.
The southpaw who has proven himself capable of winning the Cy Young Award with his regular-season performances has simply not been good enough during meaningful October action.
Alex Wong of Sports on Earth touched on the topic earlier this week:
The former Cy Young Award winner's 0-7 record as a postseason starter continues to dominate as a personal narrative, especially after his most crushing defeat in the playoffs yet last Saturday, when Price took a one-hitter into the seventh inning and watched as defensive miscues from the Blue Jays and timely hits from the Royals propelled the latter to a 6-3 win. In three appearances (two starts) this postseason, Price has a 7.02 ERA. His career postseason ERA sits at 5.24, a contrast to the 3.09 mark over 218 games (213 starts) in the regular season.
Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star has called Friday's win-or-go-home start "the biggest game of (Price's) life." Marc Normandin of SB Nation agrees with that take:
This is easily David Price's most important start as a Blue Jay, but it's really the most important start he's made in any uniform. Price was in the bullpen during the Rays' World Series run in 2008. The Rays never again made it past the ALDS with Price around, and when he was dealt to the Tigers last summer, they were swept by the Orioles in the same round -- through no fault of the lefty's, who spun eight innings of two-run ball against Baltimore, but took the loss anyway.
Price, according to Arthur, admitted to reporters on Thursday that he has felt the pressure leading up to postseason games. "You know, trying to be too good, trying to be maybe too fine or whatever it is," the 30-year-old said the day before he takes the hill for what may be the final for 2015.
This is not to suggest that Price will not ready when under the bright lights of an elimination game.
Price showed in Game 1 of the ALCS that he has the goods to mow down the Kansas City lineup. He retired 18 consecutive batters at one point. Then, as explained by Wong, it all went wrong for Price and the Blue Jays:
That's when the inning from hell started with a defensive miscue from shortstop Ryan Goins, opening the floodgates for a Royals comeback. By the time Price left the game with two outs in the inning, Kansas City had taken a lead it did not relinquish.
Things sometimes go wrong for a pitcher. A misplayed pop fly in the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS ultimately cost New York Mets starter Steven Matz a shot at a postseason win against the Chicago Cubs this past Wednesday evening.
ESPN baseball analyst Jessica Mendoza sees more to Price's late-game struggles than the lefty being a victim of bad luck.
Price will not just have to tune out the noise of the Kansas City faithful on Friday. He will have to ignore what ESPN.com MLB senior writer Jerry Crasnick described as a "public perception that (Price is) displeased over the way Toronto manager John Gibbons has used him in the postseason."
Price, who had been prepared to enter Game 5 in relief if needed by the Blue Jays, took to Twitter on Thursday to address those whispers.
Yordano Ventura, who will take the hill for the Royals in Game 6 of the ALCS, has become somewhat of a forgotten figure. Ventura has two wins during the playoffs, but he has been far from spectacular as of late. He enters Friday night with a 6.57 postseason ERA (h/t ESPN). Ventura could not get out of the sixth inning against Toronto back on October 17.
The 24-year-old is, per FOX News Latino, enjoying the ride.
"I'm just happy to be able to bring the series back home to Kansas City," Ventura told reporters on Thursday, "and I'll be ready tomorrow to pitch and perform for my club."
Other than the World Series fates of the Blue Jays and Royals, the story that will generate headlines late Friday night and early Saturday morning will be the performance had by Price.
Kershaw pitched well enough to win in both of his NLDS starts against the Mets. He was outperformed by Jacob deGrom in Game 1 of that series. Kershaw pitched a gem and beat the Mets at Citi Field in Game 4.
As good as Kershaw was on those nights, Price may have to be even better to help the Blue Jays force a Game 7.
When previewing Game 1 of the NLDS, I claimed that Kershaw was "too good" to not have at least one dominant postseason start in the tank. The same should hold true for Price, theoretically. It is for these types of moments, when everything is on the line, that a club wants a No. 1 pitcher in the rotation and on the mound. Price has to answer the call.
Toronto's World Series dreams and Price's legacy both count on it.
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