At Least the Jays Don't Have to Wait 22 Years This Time

Thursday wasn't just another day in Toronto. I could tell by the conversations I was having.

The cab driver I had on the way to the park, my family, friends and co-workers all wanted to talk about the same thing: Blue Jays postseason baseball. It's something they've wanted to talk about for a long time. I guess that's what 22 years of anxiously waiting for a moment like this will do. The Jays fever in Toronto is so crazy that the Maple Leafs' season opener, at home, was an afterthought to many. That's unheard of, but, then again, this is a baseball city right now.

It felt different walking into the Rogers Centre, and soon after it sounded different. The buzz really started picking up about 20 minutes before first pitch. Close to 50,000 people were decked out in white and blue waving rally towels around before the national anthems. The scene was something many of these fans had never experienced before, only something they'd watched on TV from their living rooms after another Jays season ended without October baseball.

Then came the massive Canadian flag that was trotted out. They say everything's bigger in Texas, and it feels like the Blue Jays took that as a challenge. The flag looked like something you'd see at a NFL season opener, but this one was red and white with a Maple Leaf on it. The unveiling of the 2015 American League East banner soon followed, while "Let's Go Blue Jays" chants serenaded the closed dome. Blue Jays players acknowledged the crowd, and then it was game on.

David Price, the hired gun acquired for moments like this, stepped on the mound shortly after 3:30 PM ET to deliver the first postseason pitch in Toronto since Mitch Williams fired a 2-2 offering that travelled 330-plus feet and vanished over the left-field wall. Without really knowing what a postseason atmosphere feels like—this was my first playoff game since Todd Stottlemyre started for Toronto at the SkyDome in Game 4 of the 1993 ALCS—this felt like what I imagined a playoff game would feel like.

The passionate roars and thunderous chants returned, so, too, did the rally towels. But the super high-energy feel was limited to isolated doses, as Texas forced Toronto to play catch up for the entire contest. There were "MVP" chants for Josh Donaldson, especially when he trotted off the field after taking a knee to the head while sliding into second. The place got loud when Kevin Pillar hit an RBI double to make it a two-run game. The joint nearly exploded when Jose Bautista brought Toronto to within one run in the sixth by blasting his first career postseason homer in his first-ever playoff game.

But every time the Blue Jays inched closer, every time the fans started making the place rock, the Rangers were there to suck a little life out of them. The stadium never sounded the same after Rougned Odor took Price deep, giving Texas a 5-3 lead it held on to.

The ace was beaten. The Jays' high-powered offence was contained. Donaldson was forced to leave shortly after the collision. Bautista later left after tweaking his hamstring during his final at-bat of the game.

At home, in front of a rambunctious crowd, with a clear advantage on the mound, this wasn't the start fans were preparing for. It was Toronto sports in a nutshell—full of letdowns and hopes getting crushed.

Price, a potential three-month rental, was supposed to guide Toronto to a 1-0 series lead. He didn't, instead continuing his postseason struggles. Price said he was nervous to start—and in a high-stakes game in front of a buzzing crowd, can anyone really blame him?

"If you're not nervous those first couple pitches or those first couple innings, I don't feel like you're human," he said after the loss. "I care a ton. I want to go out there and pitch well for my teammates and pitch well for this country and I didn't do that today."

He'll get another shot if the series goes the distance. And despite the hiccups he's encountered throughout his postseason career, is there anyone else in this series you'd rather have on the mound for a do-or-die game?

The cabbie, my dad, the near-50,000 people in the building and the millions around the country might still be waiting for that first postseason win since 1993, but they don't have to wait 22 years again. The Jays have an opportunity to even the series less than 24 hours after it began.

Donaldson and Bautista are both expected back Friday. The Blue Jays have four chances to win three games and advance to the ALCS. The opener may have been a stunning punch to the gut, but this thing is far from over.