Blue Jays alone in first in AL East after exhilarating four-game sweep of New York Yankees

National Post

18 hours ago

It's almost certain that there will be a time this season when the Blue Jays go through a lull in form — and as unlikely as it seems given the blissful recency bias — a losing streak.
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But when it comes, what happened over the past four fantastical days at the Rogers Centre will carry fuel for the remainder of what is shaping up as a riveting summer of baseball in the city.
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Led by George Springer, the first superstar signed to build a winner in this iteration of the Jays, the good times are rolling and electrifying the downtown dome like it hasn't been in several seasons.
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Springer banged out a pair of home runs on Thursday night — his team-leading 14th and 15th — to lead the Jays to a thrilling 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees, dusting off the former division leader in a four-game sweep.
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And just like that, a Toronto team that trailed the Bronx Bombers by eight games at the end of May is all alone in first in the American League East.
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Dial up your favourite superlative.
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'I think it's tough to play as consistently well as we have been, and there could be a natural letdown tomorrow, after a big four game series against the Yankees,' manager John Schneider said prior to what felt like the biggest four-game run of success in his time at the help. 'These guys have demonstrated time after time that they really don't give a (crap.) They've done it inning by inning, day by day, game by game. They're really good at moving on.'
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And moving on up, thanks to the current five-game winning streak that has been the talk of the baseball world and almost outrageous in its scope and impact.
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It has been an impressive rise for a Blue Jays team that has put aside a laggardly start and moved on to be one of the most prolific offensively as they've piled up wins. Their 23-10 record since May 28 is the best in the big leagues and it has paid off.
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In putting up eight runs on Thursday, the Jays improved to 36-3 when scoring five runs or more, the best record in the majors with that proviso.
They finished off a four-game sweep of the Yankees for just the third time in franchise history but the first at home. And they did it with big-time performances around the diamond.
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There was Springer belting out a two-run homer in the third and another two-run shot in the eighth to put up two precious insurance runs to bring the crowd of 36,848 to its feet. Springer's unlikely surge at age 35 has him easily on pace for the most homers in his Jays career, topping the 25 he hit in 2022.
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There was Bam Bam Addison Barger with another homer and a pair of doubles, power that continues to play for the Jays. Barger now has 11 homers in 63 games, one fewer than Vlad Guerrero Jr., who has played 86.