TORONTO – Returning to the field on an unprecedented opening day provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a hard-earned reward Friday night, after months of acrobatics around COVID-19, widespread shutdowns, acrimonious labour talks and a troubled search for a place to call home.
A 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, with newly signed ace Hyun-Jin Ryu delivering 4.2 solid innings and Cavan Biggio serving as the catalyst for a three-run fourth before delivering a three-run homer in the fifth, capped off a wild-day which started with Buffalo’s Sahlen Field becoming their landing spot.
While a mad scramble to ready their temporary home-field looms — perhaps in time for the July 31 start to a series against the Philadelphia Phillies, but more likely the Aug. 11 opener of a five-game home stand versus the Miami Marlins — things came together nicely at Tropicana Field.
Ryu, signed for $80-million over four years during the off-season, traded zeroes with Charlie Morton through the first three innings and then watched as Biggio bunted his way aboard the fourth, followed by a Vladimir Guerrero Jr., single and Travis Shaw walk.
A Randal Grichuk single pushed across their first run of the season before sacrifice flies by Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez plated two more.
After a Mike Brosseau RBI double in the bottom half, Biggio followed singles by Danny Jansen and Bo Bichette by turning on a 91.5 m.p.h. fastball left middle up and hooked it over the right-field wall.
Ryu didn’t survive the bottom half, surrendering a two-run homer to Yoshi Tsutsugo, the Japanese slugger whom the Blue Jays had some interest in over the winter.
Manager Charlie Montoyo then rolled out his slate of power-armed leverage set-up men, with Canadian Jordan Romano and Anthony Bass delivering to script. Rafael Dolis, the former Hanshin Tigers closer signed as a free-agent, survived a nervous eighth that started with a Bichette error, leaving the bases loaded by dotting 94.2 m.p.h. fastball on the low outside corner to catch Hunter Renfroe looking.
Closer Ken Giles then locked things down in the ninth inning.
The win against the nemesis Rays, a favourite to secure at least a post-season berth if not the American League East crown, will buoy the confidence of a young roster that has much higher expectations than is projected for them.
Guerrero looked at ease playing first base, Travis Shaw handled third without issue and everyone in the lineup save for Tellez had at least one hit. All will be counted on heavily during a 60-game season ripe for small-sample-size randomness.
The Rays were their usual creative selves, deploying a four-man outfield and a shifted three-man infield against Biggio during a strikeout in the first, but he gamed them with a clever slap-bunt to the first-base side in the fourth.
Ryu struck out four in 4.2 innings of work but also walked three and allowed four hits.
Among the new faces in the Blue Jays dugout was Dante Bichette, Bo’s dad, who was hired as a major-league coach.
