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The Blue Jays came into Wednesday facing the potential embarrassment of dropping a series against baseball’s worst team, but they had their hitting shoes on early and made sure there was no drama in blowing out the Chicago White Sox 9-2, tying their largest margin of victory this season.
A seven-run second, the Jays’ biggest inning of the year, allowed them to sit back and enjoy a laugher as they notched their first series win since taking two of three in San Diego April 19-21.
All seven runs scored with two out, thanks to four straight hits from the top of the lineup, facing rookie Nick Nastrini for a second time.
Leadoff hitter Davis Schneider came to the plate with the bases loaded and lined a two-run single to left. Daulton Varsho followed with a two-run triple into the right-field corner and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled him home.
Up stepped Bo Bichette, batting fourth — a spot in the order that had provided a .223 batting average and zero home runs.
Jays manager John Schneider was asked before the game about the team’s lack of production from the cleanup spot.
“That’s a crazy stat,” Schneider said. “That’s got to turn, that’s got to turn.”
It did, when Bichette got into a Nastrini slider and drilled it 413 feet to straightaway centre for his third home run of the season. After rounding the bases, the shortstop found pitcher José Berríos was waiting at the dugout steps to slip a long-lost friend, the Jays’ home-run jacket, onto the slugging shortstop.
Two more scored in the fourth on an RBI single by Bichette and a throwing error by Sox centre-fielder Dominic Fletcher. That gave the Jays’ had their second nine-run game in three days, though a two-hit shutout came in between.
The beneficiary of all the offence was Chris Bassitt, though the right-hander didn’t need it, spinning seven innings of five-hit shutout b all to earn his fourth win while dropping his ERA almost two-thirds of a run to 4.39.
Genesis Cabrera gave up a pair of runs in the eighth before Nate Pearson finished things off.
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Blue Jays’ home run jacket returns as Bichette homers to crush White Sox 9-2
For one night at least, the Toronto Blue Jays turned back the clock and looked like the offensive powerhouse that often clubbed its way to victory a couple seasons ago.
A 9-2 rout of the Chicago White Sox featured timely hitting, extra-base hits, and driving in runners in scoring position. And for good measure, the home run jacket even made a return.
The victory gave Toronto its first series win in a month and some needed fuel ahead of a weeklong road trip that could help the Blue Jays get out of the American League East division basement.
A four-game series against the slumping Detroit Tigers will be followed by a three-game set against the White Sox, who sit last in the overall standings.
It’s a great opportunity for the Blue Jays (22-26) to bank some victories before the season gets away from them.
Bo Bichette, who hit a two-run shot in Toronto’s seven-run second inning, said he has noticed an uptick in team enthusiasm of late.
“I think there’s more energy, more fight,” he said. “Today we scored runs and we kept on scoring runs, which is incredibly important, down or up, to keep on getting after it. It has definitely been better.”
Daulton Varsho and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored two runs apiece for the Blue Jays, who outhit Chicago 10-6.
Tommy Pham hit a solo shot and Nicky Lopez had two hits for the White Sox (15-35). Chicago has dropped five of its last six games.
Chris Bassitt (4-6) allowed five hits over seven shutout innings for the Blue Jays. Toronto’s last series win came against the San Diego Padres in a three-game set that wrapped on April 21.
The seven-run outburst was the most in one frame for the Blue Jays since they scored nine times in the ninth inning of a 20-1 laugher against Tampa Bay last May 23.
“You have to keep building on leads,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Whether it’s a big inning or whether it’s one run every inning for five. So you need those at-bats and you need the guys in the bullpen to keep it where it is.”
After Bassitt departed, Genesis Cabrera gave up two runs – one earned – in the eighth inning. Nate Pearson worked the ninth.
The Rogers Centre roof was opened about 45 minutes before first pitch on a warm, sunny and windy evening in the Ontario capital.
Chicago right-hander Nick Nastrini (0-3) issued a leadoff walk to Justin Turner in the second inning and gave up one-out singles to Alejandro Kirk and Kevin Kiermaier that loaded the bases.
After Isiah Kiner-Falefa flew out, Davis Schneider drove in two runs with a flare to left field and Varsho followed with a two-run triple. Guerrero tacked on an RBI single before Bichette hit his third homer of the year.
The Toronto shortstop put on a new-look home run jacket in the dugout after the blast. The celebratory garment had been shelved since the 2022 campaign.
“Whether it’s a jacket, whether it’s a handshake, whether it’s a red carpet, whatever it is, you need to have something that just unifies everybody,” Schneider said. “I thought it was cool that they broke it out today.”
The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning. Varsho and Guerrero reached on one-out walks and scored after Bichette floated a single to centre field.
Varsho scored easily and Guerrero came across on a throwing error by outfielder Dominic Fletcher.
Bassitt, who issued two walks and had four strikeouts, lowered his earned-run average from 5.03 to 4.39. Nastrini, meanwhile, allowed eight earned runs, seven hits and six walks over 3 1/3 innings.
“I really just wasn’t establishing that upper third of the zone,” he said. “When I don’t do that it kind of makes it tough to pitch.”
Announced attendance was 28,670 and the game took two hours 43 minutes to play.
