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2011-08-14 16:03:35
Lawrie’s dramatic flair overshadowed the major-league debut of another 21-year-old, starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez, who earlier earned his own standing O when he left the game after 5 2/3 innings. Had he managed one more out, Lawrie’s slam would have put a W on his stat line as well.
When the Jays’ five-run sixth inning ended, the crowd rose again and cheered as Lawrie ran onto the field. Moments later, they were up again as he measured and caught a pop-up that took him perilously close to the wall by his third-base dugout.
The eighth inning brought two more standing ovations for the pride of Langley, B.C. The first came after Lawrie hit a laser off the left-field wall and finished his mad dash to second base in a slide. When he raced home on a Rajai Davis single, the fans were up again.
So for the second straight night, the magic age for the Jays was 21, emphatically suggesting that the Jays are beginning a new chapter after nearly two decades of angst-ridden evolution. It is not yet a revolution, but the arrival within days of Lawrie and Alvarez is, at the very least, happily symbolic for hopeful fans.
“When you’ve got the talent to go along with the youthfulness, yeah, it’s a very exciting time,” Farrell said before the game.
Just up from Double-A, Alvarez displayed poise well beyond his years. He allowed three runs and eight hits, walked one and struck out four.
Trailing 3-1, he retired the first two batters in the sixth, then allowed two singles. Farrell had seen enough after 104 pitches.
This was not a simple spot start for the Venezuelan right-hander. The Jays believe they have something extraordinary in Alvarez and plan to give him a chance to prove it for the rest of the season.
“Right now, our plan is to have him remain in the rotation,” Farrell said before the game. Lawrie will probably stay around for a while as well. He is 7-for-18 (.389) in his first five games, with more standing ovations than hits so far.
“I like to get fired up,” he said. “I like to get everyone else going. I like to be that spark, I guess you could say, and try and make everyone better.”
His next challenge is to keep his teammates out of harm’s way after he hits a home run.0
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