The playoffs are anything but a certainty for the new and improved – not to mention combative – Toronto Blue Jays.
Judging by Sunday's charged atmosphere at Rogers Centre where the Blue Jays exchanged hostilities with the Kansas City Royals over nine innings before an expressive sold-out audience, the ride over the next two months will at the very least be eventful.
There were hit batsmen, an ejected player and manager, and a benches-clearing melee that finally erupted in the eighth inning.
In addition to all the shenanigans, there was also a baseball game that was played out – and a pretty good one at that.
After all the dust had settled and the invectives holstered for another day, the Blue Jays (54-52) beat the Royals (62-42) 5-2.
It also provided the Blue Jays with a little more strut to their step, having vanquished the American League defending champions, who came to town sporting the best record in the junior circuit, in three of four games.
"I think they [the Royals] are used to pushing people around," said Toronto's winning pitcher, R.A. Dickey, who had another stellar outing. "So when they come onto the playground and there's a kid who is bigger than they are for a day I think it probably pisses them off.
"I can't blame them, it's part of their swagger. That's part of what makes them good. And they compete hard."
With the trade-deadline moves last week, which included the acquisitions of pitcher David Price and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, two of the best players in the majors at their respective positions, the Blue Jays served notice that they are a team to be reckoned with.
And Sunday's game against the Royals was clear evidence of the team's belief they are on a mission to make up lost time with just two months left in the season.
"Today had a different feel to it," Dickey said.
The hostilities flared early, in the first inning when Josh Donaldson, the hard-nosed Toronto third baseman, was drilled high off the back by a pitch hurled by Royals starter Edinson Volquez.
Donaldson said there was no doubt Volquez intentionally threw at him and home plate umpire Jim Wolf agreed, issuing warnings to both benches.
Trouble was, at least as far as the Blue Jays were concerned, Wolf never saw fit to punish the Royals when the trend continued later in the game.
"I just think there were some things that went along in the game that were managed very poorly," Donaldson said. "Jim Wolf, I have a lot of respect for him behind the plate. I don't think he made a lot of the right decisions today. And that's what you end up getting from a game like that."
In the seventh inning, with the Blue Jays leading 2-0 on the strength of a two-run homer by Chris Colabello in the fourth, Royals reliever Ryan Madson drilled Tulowitzki on the right forearm with a 90-mile-an-hour cut fastball that was up in the zone.
The Blue Jays felt Madson should have been ejected right there, but Wolf just sent Tulowitzki, who did not suffer a serious injury on the play, on to first.
Tensions increased significantly when Donaldson, the next Toronto batter, stepped into the box and had to lurch out of the way to avoid another wayward offering from Madson.
Words were exchanged and Toronto manager John Gibbons popped out of the dugout to voice his concerns about Madson's accuracy.
As the crowd roared its displeasure Gibbons eventually got his wish – only it was himself who got thrown out of the game and not Madson.
Donaldson wound up striking out but Jose Bautista then clubbed a ground-run double to centre that scored Ryan Goins from third to extend Toronto's lead to 3-0.
Things really got out of hand in the eighth with Aaron Sanchez in relief of Dickey, who allowed just two hits with six strike outs.
Dickey has not allowed an earned run in 20 1/3 innings.
After getting the first two outs, Sanchez hit Alcides Escobar, the Royals leadoff batter, in the leg with a 97-mile-an-hour fastball.
Much to the dismay of the Blue Jays, Wolf ejected Sanchez. Sanchez later said there was no way he was intentionally firing at Escobar in such a close game.
That was the tipping point as both dugouts emptied for a tête-à-tête just off the pitching mound. Even Gibbons returned from exile in his manager's office to join the melee.
There were no punches thrown but both Donaldson and Volquez appeared ready to mix it up and had to be restrained by their teammates.
"He's a little baby," Volquez later charged about Donaldson. "He was crying like a baby."