TORONTO 鈥� Baseball may rely on data analytics the most of North America's professional sports, but the Toronto Blue Jays are trying to make a case for the intangibles of the game.
Toronto earned two consecutive come-from-behind victories over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday and Thursday, erasing deficits of seven runs and two runs respectively. The two victories over their American League East rivals helped the Blue Jays move ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays for third in the division and stay within range of second-place Boston.
But, for manager John Schneider, it could mean more as Toronto has lost seven of its past 10 games.
"Whether people believe it or not, I think momentum is a real thing in this game, and there's definitely emotion that goes into it." Schneider said after the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 4-2 on Thursday night after topping the visitors 7-6 in 10 innings. "So 2-0 is a lot easier to come back from than 6-0, I think that's kind of what the guys were thinking.
"It takes one swing, you know? It takes one swing to get things turned around like it did yesterday, like it did today, and hopefully it kind of balances itself out. But I think momentum is a real thing."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s three-run home run in the eighth inning was the one swing that turned things around on Thursday.
Guerrero came to the plate with two on and one out and the Blue Jays trailing 2-1. He saw seven pitches from Boston reliever Justin Slaten, launching an 85.8 m.p.h. curveball into the left-field stands for the Blue Jays' first lead of the game. His fourth home run of the season scored Nathan Lukes and Bo Bichette.
"I've always said, we never give up. We know we never give up," said Guerrero through traslator Hector Lebron. "Regardless of the score, we could be down 18-3, 18-4 whatever it is, we're gonna still go out there and compete."
Asked if there's a difference between thinking a comeback is possible and making a comeback happen, Guerrero said that it all starts with the right attitude.
"Remember, if you don't think that way, it won't happen," said Guerrero. "So you've got to think it first to make it happen."
A five-game losing streak April 19-23 followed by a three-game skid April 27 and April 29 dropped Toronto down the divisional standings as the Blue Jays' offence stagnated.
Toronto had gone 11 games without scoring more than four runs in a single outing until Anthony Santander's three-run homer on Wednesday tied that game 6-6 and Alejandro Kirk's RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Blue Jays a 7-6 win.
Even after the back-to-back wins, Toronto's 108 runs are the fifth lowest in Major League Baseball, only better than the Los Angeles Angels (106), Kansas City (105), Texas (103), and Colorado (96).
"We're going to go through another tough stretch or two over the course of the year and you've got to kind of weather the storm," said Schneider. "You've got to keep at it.
"That's what I'm most proud about what this group is doing right now. They weathered it. It's two good wins, and you've got to move on to Cleveland."
Chris Bassitt (2-2) will take the mound as the Blue Jays (15-16) continue their six-game homestand on Friday, hosting the Cleveland Guardians (18-13). Logan Allen (1-2) will get the start for Cleveland.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
