18-Inning Heartbreak and the Hunt for Young Guns

Game 3 was another fun matchup. I watched it until maybe the 8th inning and had to hit the hay. You know, work in the morning. I figured I’d save the highlights for later.

Anyway, I wake up around 2 a.m. and check the score… and the game is still going! So I drag myself downstairs to catch the Jays bat in the 12th inning. Clayton Kershaw comes in for the Dodgers — hey, I know that name! Unfortunately, the Jays don’t score, so I head back to bed.

The next morning, I check the final score. For a split second, I thought the Blue Jays had pulled off a 6-5 win, but nope, it’s the Dodgers 6-5, after 18 innings, 609 pitches, 130 at-bats, 19 pitchers, and yes, Clayton Kershaw.

It’s a bummer, but the Blue Jays put up a good fight. I’m not disappointed with their effort. It’s not over yet; they could easily take the next game and even things back up again.

With all the buzz surrounding the newest Upper Deck flagship set, I felt compelled to pick up a box of my own — something I haven’t done in several years.

I had my hopes set on Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov, the top Young Gun from the 49 newcomers featured in Series 1.

I have to say, I really like all the inserts. Very flashy — lots of foil and sparkle. The UD Portrait cards have gotten a lot of slack for resembling something out of a serial killer documentary, but honestly, I think they’re kind of cool.

All in all, this box felt balanced. Nothing earth-shattering, but still full of great variety and some standout pulls. No Demidov or super short prints in this box, but I’ve unpacked the start of a new collection.

Riding the Blue Jays Rollercoaster

I’d been looking forward to watching the Blue Jays play their first games of the World Series against the Dodgers all week and It didn’t disappoint. The Jays took Game One at home, 11–4. Addison Barger hit a grand slam that basically blew the doors off the game.

This season, I made a conscious effort to follow the Jays more closely. I started tuning into more games and made watching the highlights part of my morning routine.

Over time, I started to recognize the players and began putting faces to names. I became interested in learning when and how they joined the team, how long they’ve been playing, their ages, and where they’re from.

The season didn’t start off smoothly, but they turned things around in a big way! Seeing them come out and dominate in Game 1 felt like a big win not just for the team but also the fans.

Game 2 was something to look forward to, especially after an unexpected day at work. Having that feeling of anticipation run with you the entire day is always fun.

The Jays had all the momentum going in. They gave up an early run in the first but tied it up not long after with a sac fly. For a while , it felt like they were right there again. But then the Dodgers started to pull ahead; a couple of late solo shots took the wind out of it, and the Jays just couldn’t recover.

It’s never fun watching your team lose, especially after such a high the night before. The bats went quiet, and credit where it’s due, the Dodgers’ pitcher was dealing. I mean, he retired twenty straight to close it out.

That’s baseball. The highs don’t feel as good without the lows. Now the series is tied 1–1, and it’s anyone’s game heading into L.A. I can’t wait to see how the Jays respond in Game 3.