Should Blue Jays fans be encouraged by the solid start to the '25 season, even though there have been obvious flaws and an offence not clicking on all cylinders. Mal and Griff discuss that, plus what to make of the Vlad extension press conference, Max Scherzer's relationship with his replacement Easton Lucas and what it means to a new-look rotation, how high leverage bullpen pieces have come together and more. They talk about unusual injuries through the years, plus a Top 5 list of Jays strikeouts in a game, a list dominated by Roger Clemens. Finally, there's the disappointing way Jackie Robinson Day handled by the Dodgers and by MLB.

INDEX:

0:00 Intro

1:26 Attendance Concerns

3:45 Jays early success in AL despite flaws

5:24 Easton Lucas and Max Scherzer

6:57 Team concept and Lineup Construct

11:46 In praise of NL West

14:59 Hoffman and the bullpen

19:42 Clues from the Vlad Presser

24:43 Roster Moves and Springer

33:55 Rotation and Leverage

37:53 Jackie Robinson

42:45 Freak Injuries

48:13 Top 5 List Jays strikeout games

1:01:05 Ironbacks update

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For the full catalogue of Richard Griffin's work, including weekly Blue Jays/MLB columns, a weekly MLB Power Rankings column, exclusive conversations with some of the game's greats, past and present, and the Exit Philosophy podcast, visit https://www.griffsthepitch.com/