On a 25 C day in San Francisco, Spencer Horwitz decided to embrace the summer weather and go for a dip in McCovey Cove.
In the fifth inning of Thursday’s afternoon contest against the San Francisco Giants, the Blue Jays second baseman took a sweeper from former Toronto reliever Jordan Hicks 405 feet over the right-field bleachers and into the cove on a bounce.
While the blast, measured off the bat at 102.1 m.p.h., won’t go down as a “Splash Hit,” finding the water in San Francisco is a major achievement for any left-handed hitter.
A “Splash Hit” is defined as a home run that lands directly in the water of McCovey Cove.
Regardless of whether the homer goes down in Oracle Park history or not, the homer marks another significant early-season moment for Horwitz, who has provided an instant impact on the Blue Jays since being recalled in June.
His slash line improved to .322/.435/.500 through four trips to the plate on Thursday, increasing his team lead in every category (Min. 100 plate appearances).
“It’s just learning from the at-bats prior and learning from the games prior,” Horwitz told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling after the game about his big swing. “I’ve seen a good bit of off-speed this series, and I got one out over the plate and went down and got it.”
The Giants keep a running tally of how many times San Francisco hitters have achieved splash down at Oracle Park on an electronic tally on the right-field wall. The number currently stands at 103, with all-time home run king Barry Bonds accounting for 35 blasts into the water.
Coming in second behind Bonds is former Toronto Blue Jays lefty Brandon Belt with 10, after spending the first 12 years of his career with the Giants.
While no Blue Jays hitter has ever recorded a “Splash Hit” while playing on the road in San Francisco, opposing batters have homered directly into the water 61 times — the most recent instance coming from Canadian Josh Naylor in September 2023.
Current Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho is the only player currently on Toronto’s big-league roster to have reached the cove. He blasted a homer off of Giants pitcher Trevor Gott in 2020 while playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Another could join the roster this season, as current Toronto minor-league Joey Votto has also recorded a Splash Hit. His came in April 2021.
“That home run, it made me appreciate those homers that people hit into the bay,” Horwtiz said when asked about enjoying every moment in the big leagues. “This experience, so far, has been nothing short of amazing, and hopefully, can keep it rolling.”
