MINNEAPOLIS — T-Mobile Park in Seattle gets all the credit as a “home away from home” for the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s fair, but Target Field in Minnesota should at least be in the conversation.
Fans from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, among other provinces, showed up to the ballpark on Friday night, creating what looked like a sea of blue jerseys in the stands. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much to cheer for that night as the Blue Jays were shut out.
But, boy, did they get their money’s worth on Saturday night.
The visiting ballclub put on an absolute laser show, registering a season high in runs scored during a 15-0 drubbing of the Minnesota Twins. Daulton Varsho, Spencer Horwitz, Addison Barger and Will Wagner each homered while right-hander Jose Berrios tossed a gem on the mound.
The Blue Jays fans in attendance spent so much time cheering on their feet that it might have made sense for them to have purchased standing-room-only tickets.
The Blue Jays got to work right away, teeing off Twins starter Zebby Matthews. The right-hander hit George Springer to open the game and Varsho followed that with a two-run shot over the left-centre field wall. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled and then Spencer Horwitz added his ninth homer of the season.
Nathan Lukes then added an RBI double and Leo Jimenez cashed in two more with a single up the middle. All told, the Blue Jays plated seven runs in the first inning before Matthews was able to record two outs.
Some more fun facts from the most lopsided win of the Blue Jays’ season:
• This marked the first time the Blue Jays scored seven runs in the first inning since Sept. 5, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Rays, per Sportsnet Stats.
• The Blue Jays’ 23 hits on the night represented their highest tally in a game this season. Wagner led the way with five hits, Lukes collected four and Horwitz and Guerrero Jr. tallied three each.
• Each of the Blue Jays’ nine starters scored at least one run, while all but Springer recorded at least one hit.
• The win helped the club finish August with a 16-12 record, their best month of the season.
Berrios was the benefactor of the offensive barrage but barely needed the help. The right-hander was in fine form and continued what’s been one of the best stretches of his career. Berrios allowed just three hits over six scoreless frames, walking one and striking out five.
Over his past five starts he’s allowed just six earned runs over 34.2 innings for a sparkling 1.56 ERA — a remarkable level of consistency and innings logged from the right-hander, who’s clearly managed to right the ship after some uneven starts in June and July.