Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays can’t cheer for the current version in the major league playoffs, but they can still root for some former players.
There are 11 players split on five different teams in the hunt for October glory.
The most notable include New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson, St. Louis Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter and third baseman Troy Glaus, and Philadelphia Phillies outfielders Matt Stairs and Jayson Werth.
Since leaving Toronto, Stairs, Werth, Hinske and Carpenter have all won the World Series with their respective squads.
Other ex-Jays include Eric Hinske, Chad Gaudin and Josh Towers of the Yankees, Chris Woodward of the Boston Red Sox, and Casey Blake of the Dodgers.
While all have contributed to their respective teams over the past few years, six of them made a solid impact this season.
Burnett, who starts Game 2 on Friday against the Minnesota Twins, went 13-9 with a 4.04 earned run average. Gaudin was 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA. Hudson had another solid campaign batting .283 with nine home runs and 62 RBIs.
Blake also helped the Dodgers in their playoff quest hitting .280 with 18 long balls and 79 RBIs.
Carpenter, who starts against the Dodgers on Wednesday, turned in another strong campaign with a 17-4 record and a 2.24 earned-run average, while Werth hit .268 with 36 home runs and 99 RBIs.
The others didn’t fair so well.
Towers didn’t win or lose and finished off with a 3.38 earned-run average. Woodward chipped in with a .215 average with five RBIs.
Glaus had an off year battling injuries. In only 14 games he hit .172 with two runners batted in.
Hinske started the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to New York. In the 39 games spent in the Bronx Zoo, he had a .242 average with eight home runs and 25 RBIs.
Stairs had an off year as well. He played 99 games and hitting .194 with five dingers and 17 RBIs.
Former Blue Jays reliever Brandon Lyon would have been in the post season, but the Detroit Tigers’ inability to win down the stretch and dropping a one game play off against the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Tuesday night ended their season.