The Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) sealed their first victory of 2024 with an 8-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) to kick off the campaign. The Toronto Blue Jays were left off of the top 10 in terms of team OPS during the 2023 season, so coming out and tallying 8 runs against SP Zach Eflin (6th in 2023 AL Cy Young voting) and RP Shawn Armstrong (1.38 ERA in 2023) is an encouraging sign. This is the Blue Jays’ 5th straight win on Opening Day, a franchise record and the longest active streak in MLB. Toronto definitely started the season on the right note and hopefully it sets the tone for a quality 2024 season.
Berrios Provides Quality Innings in Jays Victory
SP Jose Berrios had an impressive beginning to the season, going 6 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs on 6 hits, while striking out 6 Rays hitters. Berrios added a full 3 inches of horizontal movement to his potent sinker (+3 Run Value in 2023). Also, the righty registered a total of 10 swings-and-misses, with 5 coming from his four-seam fastball, 4 coming off the slurve, and the final one stemming from the sinker.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Berrios, however, as Rays star Yandy Diaz roped an inside changeup 355 FT down the left-field line for a home run, giving the Rays an early 1-0 lead in the first frame. However, after this impressive display of hitting from Diaz, Berrios was able to settle in, yielding little offence and no runs over the next 5 frames. Each of the 29-year-old’s pitches experienced upticks in velocity, most notably the sinker (1.0 MPH up from 2023) and the slurve (1.2 MPH up from 2023).
The bottom of the 6th inning was where Berrios ran into a speed bump. Catcher Rene Pinto roped a leadoff double to right field that one-hopped the wall, giving the Rays an early baserunner for slugger Yandy Diaz. Diaz slapped a first-pitch slurve to right field, where RF George Springer sprinted and laid out in an attempt to make a diving catch. However, Springer’s decision proved to be costly, as the baseball ended up getting past him, scoring Pinto from second as Diaz took his place with an RBI double.
In the same frame, Berrios walked 2B Brandon Lowe before using a quick mound visit. With two men on in a 6-2 ballgame, Berrios needed to limit the damage. On a 3-1 count to OF Randy Arozarena, Toronto’s ace hurled a 95 MPH fastball in on the hands and got Arozarena to fly out to CF Kevin Kiermaier. Harold Ramirez then roped a ground ball to third base, where Isiah Kiner-Falefa was able to recover after a quick bobble and throw Ramirez out at first. With 2 outs and runners on second and third, 3B Isaac Paredes hit a grounder to shortstop where Bo Bichette made a nice play to his glove side, spun around, and threw the baseball on the money to first base to retire Paredes and end the threat.
Overall Line: 6.0 IP, 6 Hits, 2 ER, 6 K, BB (W)
Vladdy Crushes 450 FT Dinger to Lead Jays Offence
There were a few keys to beating Zach Eflin, and those were to get the baseball in the air and to punish his mistake pitches, specifically early in the count. While the Toronto Blue Jays offence was stagnant for the first few innings against Eflin, they ended up getting the job done in the long run. In the fourth inning, OF George Springer took a first-pitch 80.9 MPH sweeper from Eflin and crushed it 392 FT to left field to tie the contest at one-a-piece. Each of Toronto’s final 3 ABs in the inning were, at most, 3 pitches long and resulted in 3 fly balls over the 300 FT mark.
Fast forward to the 6th inning where 2B Cavan Biggio stepped up to the dish for his second plate appearance against Eflin. Biggio crushed a down-and-in sweeper from the Rays ace 366 FT to right field to give the Blue Jays the one-run lead. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up to the plate to face Eflin two batters later. In a 2-1 count, Eflin hurled an 87 MPH cutter down the pipe to Guerrero Jr. that he didn’t miss one stitch of. The 25-year-old roped the cutter 111 MPH and 450 FT deep to centre field, extending Toronto’s lead to 3-1.
But the Blue Jays weren’t done yet.
With Eflin rattled, the Blue Jays were able to string together 5 straight plate appearances that resulted in hitters on base. Bo Bichette started things off with an infield hit to Brandon Lowe who couldn’t get enough juice on the throw to first to get the speedy shortstop. DH Justin Turner came up and gave Blue Jays fans an injury scare with a HBP in the right hand. With two men on, OF Daulton Varsho was able to work a walk and load the bases for catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Kirk received a hanging curveball that he laced into left field for a 2-run single, breaking the game wide open and making the score 5-1 in favour of the Blue Jays. Former-Ray Kevin Kiermaier stepped up to the dish and slapped a single to the opposite field, scoring Varsho and giving Toronto a healthy 6-1 advantage over the Rays.
After all of the comebacks that the pesky Tampa Bay Rays have had against the Blue Jays, Toronto didn’t just want to stop at 6. In the top of the 7th inning, shortstop Bo Bichette stepped up to the dish with two men on and 1 away. After fouling off some difficult fastballs on the inside and outside corners of the plate, Bichette got a slider from Shawn Armstrong that caught too much of the plate that he roped down the left-field line to give Toronto 2 insurance runs. These 8 runs proved to be enough for Toronto to get their first triumph in 2024.
Bullpen Seals the Deal
The bullpen had a simple job due to the overload of offence, but seeing RPs Trevor Richards, Nate Pearson, and Tim Mayza have quality outings gives Blue Jays fans plenty of optimism for the status of the bullpen without CP Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson.
Interestingly, Trevor Richards decreased the velocity of his changeup to approximately 79 MPH, widening the velocity gap between his CH and his four-seam fastball. It seemed to work, though, as Richards went 1.0 innings, giving up only one walk while registering a strikeout and giving up weak contact (AVG 71 MPH exit velocity allowed). For a reliever who didn’t have a roster spot guaranteed prior to the season beginning, he certainly made a nice impression in today’s contest.
Both Nate Pearson and Tim Mayza had impressive outings against Tampa Bay in the 8th and 9th innings of the game. Pearson’s slider registered 50% (2) of his 4 whiffs, an encouraging sign that he may have found a quality secondary pitch to complement his scorching four-seam fastball. Pearson also ended up striking out 2 batters in his lone inning of work.
Uncharacteristically, Mayza tallied a whopping 5 swings-and-misses, with all 5 coming on his slider that he utilized down in the zone. To add onto this, the southpaw’s success gives some optimism to his ability to retire right-handed hitters, as he faced only righties in the 9th inning, escaping unscathed and closing out Toronto’s first victory of the campaign.
The Blue Jays are Back
The Toronto Blue Jays’ 8-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays is just the way a squad wants to start off the regular season. Everything seemed to click for Toronto, whether it was clobbering 450 FT home runs or registering 6.0 innings of 2-run baseball on the mound. Game 2 of the Opening Series goes on Friday, March 29th, where the Blue Jays will trot out SP Chris Bassitt while SP Aaron Civale will take the hill for the Rays.
Blue Jays baseball has finally returned, and if this game is any hint, Toronto fans are in for an exciting 2024 season.