*Photo from Sports chat place*
The Toronto Blue Jays needed a win to stay alive in the wild card race, to keep playing in October. So they put on a fireworks display. George Springer homered, Bo Bichette homered, and the Blue Jays routed the Baltimore Orioles 10-1 on Saturday afternoon, a crucial win for them.
The Blue Jays offense swatted 5 homers in the game to reach 258 homers for the season, which is a new single season record for Toronto. A big part of the homer barrage has been the efforts of Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Teoscar Hernandez, who have combined for 79 of those homers.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said of Hernandez and Guerrero Jr that "I told Teo and Vlad, one of the reasons we’re in this spot is because of what they’ve done all year. One is going to be a Silver Slugger, the other has a chance to be the MVP. Have fun, because you earned the right to be in this time at this moment."
Guerrero Jr and Hernandez got the scoring going in the first, with Guerrero Jr hitting a two run home run, and Hernandez hitting a solo hot, and it was quickly 3-0 Blue Jays to start. In the bottom of the second, after the Orioles scored on a ground out, Springer launched a mammoth 3 run home run to left center field, making it 6-1 and opening up the game.
The Blue Jays kept the onslaught going in the 3rd, when Santiago Espinal hit an RBI double to left, driving in the only run not on a homer by Toronto, making it a 7-1 game. In the 5th, Bichette added a solo homer, and Jansen ripped a two run home run, and the Blue Jays made it 10-1, running away with it at that time.
Alek Manoah finished off a strong rookie season by getting the win for the Blue Jays, improving to 9-2 this season, as the regular season wraps up. Manoah allowed one run on one hit and one walk, racking up 10 strikeouts in 7 strong innings. Ross Stripling came on in relief with two shutout innings to preserve the convincing victory.
Manoah deflected the praise postgame to his offense, saying that "I always just try to keep the game close to give them a chance. They showed today, like they have all year, that at any second they can put up four, five, 10 runs. For me, it’s just about getting zeros on the board and letting them hit as much as they can so that they can go do what they do best."
John Means took the loss for the Orioles, falling to a 6-9 record this season, making his last regular season start while battling a cold. Means allowed 7 runs on 7 hits, walking no one and striking out two hitters while lasting just 3 innings. Konner Wade allowed 3 runs across 2 2/3 innings in relief, followed by Spenser Watkins, who threw 2 1/3 shutout innings.
Means talked about his rough start while feeling under the weather, saying that "I just tried to give everything I had today, and it wasn’t very much. It’s hard for me to look back after this one and be satisfied, but I’m happy I made it through."
The Blue Jays will need to win on Sunday to stay alive in the regular season finale, and they are sending ace Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound to ensure they get the win. Bruce Zimmermann starts for the Orioles as they look to play spoiler and ruin the Blue Jays plans for the playoffs.
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