ST. PETERSBURG – bang. Finally the balloon burst.
In one nightmarish week, everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Blue Jays. But on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, it did exactly what could, in one of the biggest offensive outbursts in franchise history, as Toronto recorded a 20-1 win over the Rays.
It all started with the Blue Jays stringing together hits and playing the clean, assembly-line variety of baseball that had long eluded them. Two hours later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. strolled to the plate without batting gloves and hit a grand slam on Luke Raley – yes, the positioner – in the ninth game to give the Blue Jays a 16-point lead. Haven’t even done it there.
While the 20-1 win doesn’t make up for the five-game losing streak or 7-1 duration the Blue Jays just had against American League East rivals, it’s their most important win in the first two months and the 4th most runs This organization has scored one goal in a game. This isn’t just about a win, it’s about how Toronto made it and where it all came from.
All nine starters recorded at least one knockout in the Blue Jays’ 27-hit burst, the second-highest total in club history and just two fewer than their record (29) set in Boston last season. It also started at the top as George Springer won 4 of 5 and missed the cycle twice. Manager John Schneider has said before: ‘George is what drives us’ and there has been no better example of that this season.