Several Jays play a role in surge up standings

TORONTO – Contributions from all four corners of the Toronto Blue Jays roster have played a massive role in their two-month ascension to the top spot in the American League East.

There were many examples of different players leading the way in the Blue Jays’ first four-game home sweep of the division-rival New York Yankees in team history.

Deadlocked in the fourth inning of the series finale on Thursday, a dogged Nathan Lukes endured a 14-pitch at-bat to poke a two-run double down the left-field line that sparked the home side to an 8-5 win before 36,848 at Rogers Centre.

With Bo Bichette nursing a sore knee, Lukes was the third different player Toronto manager John Schneider employed in the leadoff role in the series after Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez took turns.

“That’s an at-bat where you can look back three, four days from now, a month from now, and say, ‘that wasn’t just an at-bat that helped us win this game,’” said George Springer, who continued his hot hitting with a pair of two-run homers to bring his season total to a team-leading 15.

“For him to keep going, to keep grinding, fighting off pitch after pitch after pitch, and not have a timeout after the fifth pitch was unbelievable.

“That’s an at-bat where he completely flipped the script.”

The Blue Jays flipped their script back in early May. They have gone 32-18 since May 8 with only the Houston Astros enjoying a better record at 34-17.

Chris Bassitt (8-4), who tossed a gusty 113-pitch outing in the series finale, believes the team’s culture has been the difference.

“Yeah, I would say the culture that we’ve been able to build here,” Bassitt said. “It’s taken a while.

“We’re getting rewarded for playing the game the right way and playing the game hard, not much more than that. I think it’s an old-school approach of how to play the game. Obviously, we have a lot of talented guys in the room, so you have a lot of talented guys playing the way that we’re playing.”

Addison Barger also has chipped in since being promoted from triple-A Buffalo. He homered for the second straight game, increasing his total to 11, and finished the series finale 3 for 4 with two RBI to help the Blue Jays extend their win streak to a season-high tying five games.

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“What he’s done for us this series was great,” Schneider said. “Since he’s been up here, he’s been damn good and has added a dynamic to our lineup that we desperately needed. You need stories like that.”

Schneider’s team also wouldn’t be in first place without the leadership and the comeback season from Springer. The 35-year-old was coming off a poor 2024 and endured a horrible spring training, too.

In his last 11 games, Springer has batted 20 for 39 (.513) with four homers, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored, six walks and three stolen bases.

“I’m never going to count George Springer out of anything until he hangs up his cleats,” Schneider said. “Whenever that is don’t know. I hope it’s not for a couple of years. I love that he’s here. He’s proven time and time again that he’s one of the best players in the league.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.

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