Blue Jays Take A Different Route To Anaheim Series After Leaving Diamondbacks Series

Blue Jays Take A Different Route To Anaheim Series After Leaving Diamondbacks Series

The Los Angeles Angels had a distinct advantage going into last night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and it wasn’t just because they were the home team. The Blue Jays had some issues getting to Anaheim after playing the Arizona Diamondbacks—specifically, it was an issue with the team plane, according to ESPN via an AP report.

That meant the Blue Jays ended up taking a trio of busses to Anaheim, which meant a six-hour drive on a dark desert highway that got the team to its Orange County hotel at around 12:30 AM local time, according to the report.

"I felt like I was back in the Northwest League," manager John Schneider said before Monday night's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, which the Blue Jays won 5-2. "But we made the best of it. We all got here safe, and we're ready to go."

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before last night’s game that traveling secretary told him the plane had a mechanical problem, just as Toronto was finishing up its 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

The issue was an important one, as it related to the ability to take off and land.

"There was an issue with the joystick, which is pretty important -- apparently, it's used for takeoffs and landings," Schneider said. "So, the options were to get a new plane, which would have had to fly down from Vancouver and wouldn't have landed until 10 p.m., or drive. We took a team vote, and the team voted to bus."

The one player who didn’t was last night’s starter, Dylan Cease, who flew commercial to get to Anaheim. Cease got a good night’s rest, and he wound up striking out 12 Angels in five innings, although he had to throw 115 pitches to do it.

The rest of the Blue Jays and Toronto’s staff piled into three busses, two for the players, and one for the rest of the traveling party, which included about 40 people.