TORONTO — It has taken 161 games, three homes and a club-record 258 home runs, but it all comes down to the final day of the season for the Blue Jays.
Saturday’s 10-1 win over the Orioles was never close, with the Blue Jays launching five home runs to top the franchise record of 257 set in 2010. They’ve slugged their way to the finish line, and while Toronto still needs to win and get some help Sunday, the American League Wild Card race has turned into the best of the season.
The Yankees lost big to the Rays earlier Saturday, leaving them just one game ahead of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card standings. The Red Sox will have a chance to tie New York with a win against the Nationals, while the Mariners play the Angels tonight and need a win to stay even with the Blue Jays.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got the derby started in the first inning with a Statcast-projected 450-foot shot to left field that just kept rising, eventually smacking off the facing of the 300 Level at Rogers Centre while another sellout crowd of 29,916 erupted. It was Guerrero’s 47th of the season, tying him with Eddie Mathews of the Milwaukee Braves (1953) for the most home runs by a player age 22 or younger.
Teoscar Hernández took his turn, hitting No. 32 in the first, then George Springer hit his 20th of the season in the second and Bo Bichette followed with his 29th in the fifth. It was Danny Jansen who hit the record-setting homer, a two-run shot in the fifth.
It has been a week of records for this lineup. Marcus Semien on Wednesday set the record for home runs by a second baseman with 44, and the Blue Jays became the first team since the 2003 Braves to have four players with 100 RBIs, something that hadn’t happened in club history. Springer’s 20th also gave the Blue Jays seven hitters with 20 home runs for the first time since they did it in ‘10. Only the ‘19 Twins, with eight, have had more.
