They keep outdoing themselves.
Following two vicious comebacks during a wacky doubleheader that saw the Blue Jays scratch and claw for hard-fought victory, the club decided to frontload the offense in Sunday's 22-7 win.
The Jays' first four batters of the game reached base within 10 minutes of first pitch, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. —whose September OPS sat at a sky-high 1.239 before the game—cashed in with a deep fly ball to right-center field.
The blast was Gurriel Jr.'s 18th home run of the season—he'd hit No. 19 a bit later—and fourth grand slam of the year, which sets a new single-season Blue Jays record. The 27-year-old wound up finishing with seven RBI and five runs scored, becoming the first player in franchise history to achieve such a feat.
But, like Saturday's 11-run inning, the offensive barrage continued in devastating fashion. Toronto plated five runs before Orioles starter Zac Lowther could record an out, but that was only the gentle beginning to a relentless onslaught.
In the second inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s 44th home run of the season—a majestic blast just inside the left field foul pole to tie Shohei Ohtani for the league lead—was a mere appetizer to a buffet of runs an inning later.
The Blue Jays scored 10 runs in the third, initially by way of a Teoscar Hernández grand slam—the first time Toronto has ever hit two grand slams in a game—then a couple doubles, followed by Jake Lamb's first homer as a Blue Jay. After that, two more doubles to gave Toronto a 13-run edge. Including Saturday's 11-run seventh inning, Toronto's 27 runs were the most by a major league team in a four-inning span since 1920.
From the first pitch to the very last one, Toronto dominated the game, which made starting pitcher Steven Matz's afternoon a stress-free endeavor.
Matz wasn't on his A-game, but with 22 runs of support, it didn't matter—keeping the bullpen fresh was the most important takeaway. Well, that, and some new franchise records.
The Blue Jays scored runs 47 runs over the weekend, their most ever in a four-game series. If it wasn't obvious before, the Blue Jays—winners of 14 of the last 16 and owners of an 11-1 record in September—are the hottest team in baseball.
With each massive victory, a trip to the postseason looks more and more likely, as Toronto has jumped the Yankees by a half-game for sole possession of the second AL wild card.
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