The Fifth Liners

After personally witnessing his complete game shut out victory in the Toronto Blue Jays 6-0 over the Chicago White Sox last night, you have to wonder whether pitcher Drew Hutchison is the new ace that the team so badly needs? Pushing his record to 4-1 this season, the 24 year old Florida native struck out 8 different batters, allowed only 4 hits and and looked in complete control, 96 pitches was all it took. Yes, he was aided by a substandard White Sox performance, but taking nothing away from the young man. When he was selected as opening day pitcher in the Jays 6-1 win over the Yankees, few eyebrows were raised. In getting the start over more experienced candidates such as Mark Buerhle and R.A Dickey , it shows just what high hopes the organization has for this man. The bullpen has been a source of concern to the Blue Jays this season, with young talent Daniel Norris being already sent down to Triple A along with talented reliever, Miguel Castro . But Hutchison has been noted as...

Prior to arriving in Canada I was aware of the existence of the game of baseball, but being European I never quite grasped its appeal! The games seemed like 'The Never Ending Story' and I marveled at the fact that their main championship was named the World Series when in fact no other nations participated. But watching baseball films such as Bull Durham, Moneyball, Eight Men Out and Major League perked my interest in this game and I found myself reading more. The Toronto Blue Jays were a franchise I had been aware of for some years as they were Canada's only MLB franchise who had not only claimed back to back World Series wins in 1992-93 but had also not reached the playoffs again since then. As I was facing a long wait until Hockey season rolled around and the 2014 World Cup really wasn't peaking my interest this time, I decided to immerse myself in the beautiful game that Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Mickey Mantle and Cal Ripken Jr have made so popular. Arr...

The 2014 season has been one of sheer inconsistency for the Chicago White Sox , who currently sit in 4th place in the American League Central Division and seem set to miss the Wild Card Slot for a sixth year in a row. But one area that has been a bright spot has been the impressive form of rookie First-Baseman and Designated Hitter Jose Abreu , who seems certain to be named the franchise first Rookie of the Year in almost 30 years. After defecting from his native Cuba in the off season, where had a previously starred playing for Cienfuegos of the Cuban National Division, Abreu almost immediately raised eyebrows when he signed a massive $68 million dollar contract with the White Sox. This amount was unheard of for a rookie, but Abreu has shown he has been worth every penny and his batting average stands at .308 including 138 hits and 33 home runs (second only behind Cruz of the Orioles)! 94 RBI's have also come from his swings at the plate and standing at 6 foot 3, this guy is pro...