TORONTO – The Blue Jays may have found the solution to their bullpen woes: nine strikeouts per game.
Sustainable? Maybe not, but the Blue Jays are hitting their best right now, with an MLB-leading 170 runs scored in June, along with 50 home runs last month. Redshirting in front of a sellout crowd of 44,445 on Canada Day on Friday, some of that offense carried over into July with a 9-2 holiday victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
“It was so special,” starter Jose Berrios said. “I’ve heard a lot about this day, but to be here and participate today was very emotional. I know a lot of Canadians like it and want to be on the course on a day like today.”
“It was amazing, to say the least,” added Kavan Bijo, who reached base four times Friday. “In 2020 and 2021, we definitely missed that place. Now we’re finally back and experiencing the energy we’ve all been looking forward to every night.”
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s home run put the finishing touches on that one, but the Blue Jays also had six doubles, five of which came off Rays starter Corey Kluber in a five-run third inning. A three-run sixth created much-needed breathing room for the Blue Jays, who were able to rest most of their high-leverage relievers on a day when Berrios wasn’t at his best.
With three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, Gurriel Jr. helped run the Blue Jays offense. But don’t overlook Biggio, who struck out twice while hitting two doubles on the day as his season on-base percentage climbed to .385.
“It was great today,” Bijo said. “Just blow after blow. Good pitcher, good experienced guy on the mound, but we had a plan and we were able to execute it.”
Even before a pitch was thrown, Blue Jays fans had plenty to cheer about Friday. The recently retired Russell Martin was honored with a memorable video narrated by former teammate Jose Bautista and personal messages from the likes of former Jays manager John Gibbons and fellow Canadian Joey Votto.
As video tributes played in center field, most Blue Jays players watched from the dugout. The fans also responded warmly to Martin, who later threw out the ceremonial first pitch to another athletic catcher who wears No. 55: Gabriel Moreno.
“Amazing career,” Bijo said of Martin. “What impresses me the most is that he played 14 years in major tournaments and made the playoffs 10 times. That’s what this game is about: it’s about winning.”
As for Berrios, he was efficient enough, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings. Still, he worked in and out of trouble, stranding nine runners, including both batters he struck out.
Although his fastball averaged 93.6 mph, the Rays weren’t often fooled by the right-hander, who generated eight swinging strikes on 98 total pitches. Still, the Blue Jays will take this from Berrios, especially considering he’s allowed 14 earned runs over his previous two starts.
“He’s better than what he did today,” Montoyo said. “He was missing a little bit and that made him throw even more pitches and work harder … at the end of the day, he got the job done.”
But realistically, the Blue Jays would be in a tough spot without so much help from their offense. Adam Kimber was thought to be unavailable after sitting out three straight days, and David Phelps was likely unavailable given that he had just sat out four of five. It wasn’t the ideal day for the Blue Jays to try to hold on to a one or two run lead.
Thanks to their lineup, they didn’t have to. With the exception of one inning by Trent Thornton, the Blue Jays were able to avoid their high-leverage relievers, which put them in a relatively strong position entering Saturday’s matchup.
“If the pitching gives us a chance, our offense is going to go, and that’s exactly what happened,” Montoyo said. “We have to be better tomorrow because of it.”
Sergio Romo made his Blue Jays debut with a clean seventh inning that included two strikeouts and Max Castillo pitched the final two innings without incident as Toronto improved to 44-33 on the season while extending its lead over the Rays to 3.5 games.
All told, this was pretty close to how the Blue Jays would draft it. And at the end of the day, they’re back in Toronto, playing at home on Canada Day for the first time since 2019. In case there was any doubt left about the significance of the day, an impromptu rendition of O Canada erupted into the stands as the Blue Jays closed out the victory. Soon after the fans finished singing, the players completed their 9-2 victory.
“The energy and pride that this country embodies was definitely on full display,” Bijo said.
Or, as Montoyo put it, “You can tell what happiness is about it.”
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