'An easy team to get behind': One-on-one with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker

National Post

4 hours ago

In the decade since the Blue Jays previously generated so much enthusiasm from their own fan base and around Major League Baseball, Pete Walker has seen some things.
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The team's long-time pitching coach was a part of those 2015 and 2016 Jays teams that ended a long drought of playoff absences.
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He has seen the rise of the Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette era, the flattening out of a team after a couple seasons of that excitement and in the now, an invigorating renaissance.
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And yes, in the current version that is having the effect of reliving some of those feelings from the summer of 2015, the team's longest-serving coach sees some parallels.
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'There's absolutely no doubt,' said Walker, relaxed and reflective during our lengthy recent interview in the home dugout at the Rogers Centre. 'For me, I've experienced both and it feels the same.
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'I think these guys are having fun. You can tell. They're excited for each other. It's an easy team to get behind, it really is, and the fans are showing it by filling this place every night.'
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Walker recognizes the personalities are of a different breed from 2015 to 2025. The previous version was an alpha outfit run by the likes of Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson.
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The current Jays roster has star power in Guerrero Jr. and others, but it is the supporting cast that has elbowed its way into prominence. And it is that group that is helping drive the wagon that now has played in front of a sold out Rogers Centre for 16 consecutive home games.
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'It's the unsung heroes on this team that stand out,' Walker said. 'The glue between the cracks type of guys who you don't figure to be impactful but have really picked up their game when they're called upon. Fans relate to that.'
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Walker and manager John Schneider have a solid synergy, one made even more exhilarating when success has followed so significantly. The 73-52 record through 125 games is actually better than the 70-55 mark from 2015, a season that ended with 93 wins and a division title.
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There are still plenty of twists and turns remaining for a group that has already had some highs and lows, but overall Walker likes the potential of his pitching staff finishing strong.
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'There are a lot of things you are going to figure out through the course of the season, but we have a group that's resilient, that seems to be getting stronger at this time of year, which is critical,' said Walker, now in his 13th season as Jays pitching coach. 'With the five (starters) and Shane (Bieber) here taking the ball, we're in a really good position to win a game every night.