ANAHEIM, Calif. — Technical problems with their charter aircraft left the Toronto Blue Jays with no choice but to travel by bus from Phoenix to Southern California on Sunday evening, enduring a six-hour journey through the desert that brought them to their Orange County accommodations around 12:30 a.m.
“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. “But we made the best of it, we all got here safe, and we’re ready to go.”
According to Schneider, Blue Jays traveling secretary Rodney Hiemstra notified him about the aircraft malfunction around 4 p.m. Sunday, just as the team was wrapping up their 10-4 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“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.”
Starting pitcher Dylan Cease, slated to pitch Monday evening, chose to take a commercial flight from Phoenix to Orange County, while the rest of the team transferred their luggage and provisions from the charter aircraft to three buses — two designated for players and one for the remaining traveling group of approximately 40 people, including coaching personnel.
“The math was a little off,” Schneider said. “It worked out way better for the players, but there was a whole lot of doubling up for us. I had my own two seats, and I still had cases of water around me, and you feel bad reclining on people.”
Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer opposed the team’s decision to take the bus route, preferring air travel to Orange County, but the experienced right-hander managed to inject some levity into the circumstances.
“I got reprimanded by Max for electing to travel that way,” Schneider said as he showed reporters a letter Scherzer printed out for the manager. “So we’re going to go to a trial in kangaroo court.
“I was like, ‘Max, why don’t you just buy a plane? You’ve got plenty of cash.’ Most of the guys who were playing (Monday night) wanted to get out of there.”
