Nathan Lukes did everything he could. It wasn't enough.
The Sacramento State alumnus turned in one of the more bittersweet weeks an MLB outfielder can have — productive at the plate, present for the gut punch. By the time the Toronto Blue Jays were officially eliminated from playoff contention, Lukes had racked up multi-hit performances in three of his last six games. The team still couldn't survive.
The Stretch Run
Lukes opened the week in style. On Sunday, Sept. 20, he went 2-for-4 against the Texas Rangers with two RBIs and two runs scored as Toronto cruised to a 7-2 win — one of the cleaner victories in a week that would grow increasingly grim. That game, per Sportsnet highlights, also featured Lukes and Charles McAdoo each driving in a pair to power the offense.
The momentum didn't hold. Monday in Baltimore, Lukes contributed an RBI single in the first inning — part of a three-run Toronto burst against Orioles starter Shane Baz — but the Blue Jays couldn't add to the lead and fell 4-3. Pete Alonso's 40th home run of the year was among the blows that undid the early lead.
Wednesday brought a doubleheader against Baltimore, and Lukes delivered again — going 2-for-something in Game 1 (batting average climbing to .276) and adding a hit in Game 2. His bat was live. The scoreboard, for Toronto's playoff chances, was not.
The Elimination
The moment the curtain fell came in Baltimore, where Lukes struck out to seal a loss to the Orioles and officially end Toronto's postseason hopes. For a player who had already been part of the team's best recent win — and had spoken publicly about preparing for Jacob DeGrom's fastball — to be the final out in an elimination game is the kind of cruel symmetry that sticks with a fanbase.
His bat has told a respectable story this September: a .277 average on Saturday against Cincinnati, a two-hit, one-RBI game Friday in the same series. But the Blue Jays' season closed around him regardless.
The Rest of the Hornet Alumni
Elsewhere in the Sac State diaspora, right-hander Travis Adams continued logging innings for the Minnesota Twins. Adams struck out four over two innings on Saturday (Sept. 26) with an ERA sitting at 4.58, after punching out three in 1.2 innings Tuesday against San Francisco. Steady, if unspectacular, work for a rebuilding rotation.
Rhys Hoskins, the former Hornet slugger now with the Cleveland Guardians, spent the week on the injured list. One Sporting News report made the slightly uncomfortable observation that Cleveland's offense may actually be functioning better in his absence — a cold reality for a veteran first baseman navigating an injury-shortened campaign.
For Sacramento State fans, the week was a study in contrast: Lukes as the most visible alumnus on a meaningful stage, producing when it counted, watching the team fold around him. The Blue Jays' 2024 postseason dream is over. Lukes, at least, made sure it wasn't for lack of trying on his part.
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