2022 Blue Jays season timeline: The ups, the downs and the in-between

When Cleveland’s Carlos Santana caught a pop-up in foul territory to end the Blue Jays’ hopes in the 2016 American League Championship Series, it was fair to wonder how long it would take playoff baseball to return to Toronto.

The 2016 Jays roster was veteran-heavy with two of the team’s offensive cornerstones – Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion – without a contract for the following season. It felt a bit like a window was closing. And that feeling proved to be right.

The Jays went on to record three consecutive losing seasons and while they did return to the playoffs in 2020, COVID-19 prevented any possibility of those games being in Toronto. So when Santana and the rest of his team jumped around on the Rogers Centre turf to celebrate a trip to the World Series, a long, long wait began for the Jays and their fans.

Six years and a whole pandemic later, that wait is almost over. With the Blue Jays set to embark on their postseason journey beginning Friday afternoon at home against the Seattle Mariners, here is a look back at everything from this season that got them there.

The 2021 season was a bit of a head-scratcher for the Blue Jays.

Their 91 wins were sixth best in team history and came while playing in three different home ballparks. But not only did they ultimately fall short of the playoffs, they finished fourth in the American League East and were unable to retain MVP finalist Marcus Semien and Cy Young winner Robbie Ray that winter as each player left town for sizeable free-agent deals. There was plenty to be happy about what the Blue Jays did last year. And enough to be disappointed about, too.

That made the mission clear for 2022. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said it himself in spring training.

“Last year was the