Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
At its core, baseball is a simple game with a simple goal: score more runs than your opponents. Find yourself a collection of players that can do this consistently, and you’ve most likely got a strong team. The Blue Jays have accomplished this task. Instead, it is the arbitrary construction of nine-inning games that has been the team’s undoing.
By one measure, Toronto is among the best teams in baseball, with more than enough talent to contend for a championship.