NFL
By: Greg Rector
The Toronto Blue Jays bats came alive in Boston as they swept the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Davis Schneider was called up from Triple AAA Buffalo and just started his MLB career with a hitting display that included his first MLB home run in his first at-bat. Pretty good for a guy drafted in the 27th round in the 2017 MLB draft, a round that no longer exists in the MLB draft. Davis Schneider has now tied the MLB record tied with someone from the Chicago Cubs who did this in 1938. A four-hit game in just his 3rd MLB game!! That’s a .750 batting average.
Davis Schneider
Davis Schneider: The second player in @MLB HISTORY with 8 hits and 2 homers in his first three games! #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/ouSpSPLCL6
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 6, 2023
Schneider has been electric at second base for the Toronto Blue Jays. Since he debuted on Friday night, the 5’9″ Schneider has had plenty of power as his second home run went out of Fenway Park and was listed as 452 feet. His bat has helped the Toronto Blue Jays stay in the wild-card hunt after the team had managed just 18 hits combined in losing three of four games against the Baltimore Orioles.
This all comes after the Toronto Blue Jays lost Bo Bichette for at least ten days as he injured himself running the bases. The other Blue Jays hitters have taken notice as well with Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman also hitting very well at Fenway Park. It also follows the Blue Jays not being able to trade for a right-handed hitter as was hoped for at the MLB trade deadline.
If Davis Schneider can continue hitting this way the Blue Jays will be just fine as their pitching staff has been excellent with Jordan Romano and Trevor Richards also back in Toronto rehabbing from injuries. Chris Bassitt Joel Berrios and Alec Manoah were all outstanding in the three-game sweep over the Boston Red Sox.
The Wild Card Standings
The Toronto Blue Jays sit one game behind the Houston Astros for that second wild-card slot available to make the playoffs. The Blue Jays pitchers have been very good even in the losses against the Baltimore Orioles. To see the way they have been pitching all season has been such a positive. Even with Hyun Ryi-Jun coming back after his Tommy John surgery he looked very good in his lone start thus far. Alec Manoah also looks much better than he has all season.
The Toronto Blue Jays were only two games up on the Red Sox before the series and leave 5 games up as they next travel to Cleveland to face the Guardians and then it’s back home to face the Chicago Cubs the Philadelphia Phillies and then the Cincinnati Reds before they face the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals to end the month of August.
The Toronto Blue Jays have 49 games left to play and if they can continue to get the same pitching and the bats stay alive they can win the second wild card spot as they have the tie-breaker over the Houston Astros.
If Bo Bichette returns sooner rather than later for the Blue Jays they can really jump up the standings. To have now moved up to 11 wins versus 24 losses against the AL East is a tough task to get over. However, they have simply owned teams not located in their own division.
As I wrote about recently for the Toronto Blue Jays they have to win games with both their hitting and pitching going at the same time. That’s been the mystery all season long for the Blue Jays and if they finally can find that magical moment where both the pitching and hitting are working together the way they did this weekend the Toronto Blue Jays will be back in the MLB playoffs.
Comments 1