'Enjoy the S**t Out of This': Inside the Blue Jays Playoff Clinch Party
TORONTO — At the start, Teoscar Hernández was the life of the party.
The 29-year-old outfielder—and the second-longest tenured Blue Jay on the roster—leaped onto a table in the clubhouse. Hernández bopped to the beat, wearing green ski goggles and waving a massive pirate flag as his teammates danced below.
At this point, the Blue Jays clubhouse was a full-on nightclub. Strobe lights shined; “Pump It Up” by Endor blared. The party was about to hit its peak when manager John Schneider emerged. That’s when the music stopped and the skipper, whose appointment as interim manager sparked the Jays in the second half, gave his speech.
“Unbelievable effort all season long,” Schneider said. “You guys have been f***ing incredible, and enjoy the s**t out of this tonight.”
That’s when the bottles popped and the sweet scent of champagne filled the room. As Future and Drake’s “I’m On One” took hold of the vibe, Alek Manoah entered the room like a WWE superstar. The 6-foot-6 pitcher, fresh off his eighth-consecutive quality start, was mobbed. Once Manoah got the cork off his bottle, he went wild, yelling and spraying everyone around him.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seemed to find himself in the middle of nearly every celebration, like it or not. The 23-year-old had just roasted a 118-mph homer in the win versus the Red Sox a few hours earlier, leaving his teammates in awe. Now he was public enemy number one, as his buddies chased him down to get some revenge for all the post-game ice bucket dumps he led throughout the year.
“I feel like everyone got Vladdy pretty good for all the water he throws on us,” Manoah said.
Said Guerrero, through a team interpreter: “I tried to hide and avoid everything, but everyone was dumping everything on me.”
While the team partied as a group, certain guys made time for intimate moments. At one point, Guerrero zoned in on Bo Bichette, his buddy from the minor leagues and the co-star of Toronto’s up-and-coming young core. Smiles, hugs, and a few words were exchanged between the two.
“It’s a long way,” Guerrero said. “So I told him, ‘Let’s celebrate, but we’re not done yet.’”
Guerrero and Bichette have already been a part of playoff pushes and championship runs in the Blue Jays organization. Many of the current roster were part of a 2017 Single A title team and the 2018 Double A champions, managed by Schneider, but this major-league playoff clinch was a much sweeter moment.
“This is way better,” said Guerrero. “In the minor leagues, they give you just one bottle of champagne. That’s it.”
As the clubhouse backing track changed to “Long Time” by Boston, Manoah and Matt Chapman turned to face each other in the middle of the room, bending their knees and breaking out into dueling air guitar performances.
The songs changed, but the dancing didn’t stop. Eventually, at the behest of a megaphone siren, the players, coaches, and staff all filed through the Rogers Centre tunnels and out onto the field.
The entire squad rallied near the mound, as the classic home run foghorn sounded and “Follow The Leader” took hold of the stadium speakers. Guerrero and George Springer orchestrated a dance party as the players waved their hands back and forth. All the while, the jumbotron shone bright blue with the words “CLINCHED” front and center.
The last step was to wrangle the team for a group photo on the infield. The entire roster, from bullpen coaches to clubhouse attendants, sprinted in and flashed a smile.
“You got to enjoy it, embrace it, cherish it,” Schneider said. “Doesn't happen very often, doesn't happen all the time. Hopefully, it happens more this year, but happy that they're having fun.”
The Blue Jays knew this party was coming Friday, win or lose, but it didn’t drain the fun. Amidst the champagne and the dancing and the strobe lights, there was an undertone of greater ambitions. Every team that makes the playoffs gets their clinch party, but only one hoists the trophy.
