MINNEAPOLIS — T-Mobile Park in Seattle gets all the credit as a “home away from home” for the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s fair, but Target Field in Minnesota should at least be in the conversation.
Fans from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, among other provinces, showed up to the ballpark on Friday, fashioning what looked like a sea of blue jerseys in the stands. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much to cheer for that night as the Blue Jays were shut out.
But, boy, did those fans get their money’s worth on Saturday.
The visiting ballclub put on a fireworks display, registering a season high in runs scored during a 15-0 drubbing of the Minnesota Twins. Daulton Varsho, Spencer Horwitz, Addison Barger and Will Wagner each homered while right-hander Jose Berrios contributed a gem on the mound.
The Jays fans in the ballpark spent so much time on their feet cheering that it might have made sense for them to have purchased standing-room-only tickets.
“Oh my gosh, yeah, especially in the first inning,” Horwitz said. “They started a ‘Let’s Go Blue Jays,’ chant and it felt like a home game for a second.”
The Blue Jays got to work right away, teeing off Twins starter Zebby Matthews. The right-hander hit George Springer to open the game and Varsho immediately followed with a two-run shot over the left-centre field wall. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled and then Horwitz mashed his ninth homer of the season.
Nathan Lukes then added an RBI double and Leo Jimenez cashed in two more with a single up the middle. All told, the Blue Jays plated seven runs in the first inning before Matthews was even able to record two outs.
“Really good plan put together by the hitting [coaches],” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “And then the guys going out and executing it. You don’t see that — seven runs, it happened pretty quick. And they stuck to it.”
The Blue Jays’ 23 hits represented their highest tally in a game this season. Wagner led the way with five and became the first rookie in franchise history to achieve the feat.
“It’s amazing, congrats to him,” said Schneider. “He’s just steady. Even in that couple-of-game stretch where he was not getting hits — I mean, we’re not asking him to hit .500 — but he’s just steady. He’s a pro. Nothing really fazes him. I just love the way he goes about it every single day. Simple swing and just understands the game.”
Some more fun facts from the most lopsided win of the Blue Jays’ season:
• This marked the first time the Blue Jays scored seven runs in the first inning since Sept. 5, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Rays, per Sportsnet Stats.
• The 15-0 score was tied for the largest shutout win in franchise history. The Blue Jays also bested the Detroit Tigers, 15-0, on July 6, 1996.
• Lukes tripled as part of his four hits on the night and is now 5-for-9 since being recalled on Friday. Horwitz collected three hits while driving in three runs, while Guerrero Jr. also tallied three base knocks.
• Each of the Blue Jays’ nine starters scored at least one run, while all but Springer recorded at least one hit.
• The win helped the club finish August with a 16-12 record, their best month of the season.
“Everyone’s having fun,” Horwitz said of the vibe in the dugout during the blow out. “Everyone’s contributing to the win. It’s a lot more relaxed than a game where we have no hits going to the [fifth inning], like last night. It’s a lot more loose, a lot more fun.
“I felt like toward the end of the game, everyone was running to the bat rack to try and get in there,” added Horwitz. “And when you get that energy and the offence rolling, it’s contagious, for sure.”
Berrios was the benefactor of the barrage but barely needed the help. The right-hander was in fine form and continued what’s been one of the best stretches of his career. Berrios was aggressive in attacking the zone and allowed just three hits over six scoreless frames, walking one and striking out five.
Over his past five starts he’s allowed just six earned runs over 34.2 innings for a sparkling 1.56 ERA — a remarkable level of consistency and innings logged from the right-hander, who’s clearly managed to right the ship after some uneven outings in June and July.
Berrios said his job was made easier because of the freedom afforded by a massive lead. However, what made his performance even more impressive on Saturday was that he was battling through an illness, which contributed to Schneider removing him after the sixth despite an economical 63 pitches.
“I had a fever,” Berrios said. “That’s one of those days where you don’t want to feel like that. But I wanted to keep going and go out there and do my thing, help my team and I did it. It was a challenge for me today.”
A performance that was no doubt appreciated by the home, er, visiting crowd.
“It’s awesome,” Schneider said of the Blue Jays’ faithful in the house. “You know, it’s kind of like Seattle. We love seeing these fans here during [batting practice]and the support has been tremendous, both on the road and at home, all year. You really can’t say thank you enough to the support we’ve gotten.
“And it’s awesome to look up and see a bunch of blue up in the stands.”
