Worthy first impression made by Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Berrios; keeps good the vibes
Jose Berrios made a worthy first impression on his new Blue Jays teammates to continue the good vibrations for the team in its return to Rogers Centre.
Berrios helped Toronto sweep the Kansas City Royals with six shutout innings in a 5-1 victory before a crowd of 14,427 under an open roof on Sunday. The Blue Jays (54-48) outscored their opponents 15-5 in the three-game set, their first series in Toronto in 22 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The right-handed Berrios (8-5) landed on the Blue Jays doorstep from the Minnesota Twins before the trade deadline on Friday. In exchange for the dependable starter, Toronto sent prime prospects Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richards the other way.
Berrios arrived in town on Saturday evening. His debut outing for Toronto was far from the all-star form he exhibited in 2018 and 2019. But he found ways to pitch out of jams with strikeouts at critical times.
Berrios fanned seven Royals, hit three batters and surrendered five hits in his 95-pitch, 64-strike outing.
The new Blue Jays starter was hit hard early. Berrios yielded four singles in the nine batters he faced in the first two innings. But he found his groove in the third, fourth and fifth innings, only to struggle again in the sixth.
Berrios surrendered a one-out double to outfielder Andrew Benintendi and loaded the bases after hitting Hunter Dozier and Michael Taylor with two outs. But Berrios struck out Edward Olivares, the final batter he faced for the afternoon.
Berrios's new teammates gave him the necessary run support in the third inning. Red-hot George Springer knocked in catcher Reese McGuire with a double to right-centre field. Infielder Marcus Semien then smashed a two-run homer for his 25th of the season.
Kansas City starter Brad Keller (7-10) left the game after three innings because of lower-back tightness.
Toronto third baseman Santiago Espinal slammed a solo shot in the fourth. The Blue Jays pushed home an additional run an inning later after four consecutive walks to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Cavan Biggio, Randal Grichuk and Espinal.
Trevor Richards relieved Berrios with a one-two-three seventh inning and struck out Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez to begin the eighth before giving way to reliever Tim Mayza. Royals outfielder Edward Olivares hit a two-out ninth-inning homer to left field off Mayza to spoil the shutout.
Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was given the day off.
Even though the Royals (45-59) are in the bottom third of the overall Major League Baseball standings, they arrived in Toronto on an 8-2 run.
With the arrival of Berrios and reliever Joakim Soria, also acquired before Friday's trade deadline, the Blue Jays optioned pitchers Thomas Hatch and Tayler Saucedo to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.