Unsung heroes of the Blue Jays' pitching staff in the postseason

"Acquiring Varland came out of nowhere. He didn't expect it, Twins fans didn't expect it, nor did Blue Jays fans. He showed some positive signs in the regular season, but his ERA blew up when he joined the Blue Jays, authoring a 4.94 ERA and 3.56 FIP in 23.2 innings pitched. Varland had a strong end to the season, giving up just one earned run in his final nine innings, putting him back in the circle of trust."

"Well, the Blue Jays' usage of Varland this postseason goes beyond just a "circle of trust". The 27-year-old appeared in every single game of the American League Divisional Series and all but one of the Blue Jays' seven American League Championship Series games. In Game 3 of the ALDS, Aaron Judge hit a game-tying home run off Varland, giving him two of the four earned runs he's given up. The thing is, the pitch wasn't even bad; it was an upper-90s fastball that was so far inside that no other home run has been hit like it since the stat was tracked. Judge is just that good."

There are several unsung pitching heroes who overcame adversity, sacrificed normal routines, or stepped up whenever called upon. Louis Varland arrived unexpectedly and struggled initially, recording a 4.94 ERA and 3.56 FIP in 23.2 innings before finishing the regular season by allowing one earned run over his final nine innings. The Blue Jays deployed Varland extensively in the postseason, using him in every ALDS game and nearly every ALCS game, often with inherited runners. Varland surrendered a notable Aaron Judge home run but finished the postseason with a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings and earned strong managerial trust.

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