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
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.