Now that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is under contract through 2039 he figures to hit a lot of milestones in a Blue Jays uniform and he reached a big one on Friday night.
Guerrero became the youngest player in franchise history to register 1,000 hits. His single to right-centre field during the top of the fifth inning sparked a six-run rally that propelled the Jays to a 7-6 victory over the Athletics.
The 26-year-old Guerrero became the . He did it during the 911th game of his career and the only players who accomplished that feat quicker were former outfielder Shannon Stewart and infielder Damaso Garcia. They were both 29 when it happened.
Hit number 1,000!
— É«É«À² Blue Jays (@BlueJays)
Here's to the next thousand 💥
Guerrero still has quite a lot of ground to make up before he reaches the top spot. The late Tony Fernandez is the Jays’ all-time hits leader with 1,583, while Vernon Wells is second with 1,529 and Carlos Delgado is third with 1,413. Considering Guerrero’s 14-year deal worth $500 million (U.S.) doesn’t kick in until next season, he has plenty of time to keep narrowing that gap.
It was a memorable night for Guerrero and another big game for his team’s offence. The Jays scored seven runs on 12 hits to win for the 13th time in their last 15 games. É«É«À² has a franchise-record 55 wins before the all-star break and they have a chance to add two more before this weekend’s series in Sacramento comes to a close.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest victory:
The bat-around inning
Here’s a closer look at some of the players who could find themselves in the three-week rumour mill.
Here’s a closer look at some of the players who could find themselves in the three-week rumour mill.
Guerrero’s single in the fifth put runners on the corners with one out against A’s right-hander Luis Severino.
Guerrero then stole second and when the throw went through to the base, George Springer scampered home from third to give the Jays a 2-0 lead.
Alejandro Kirk and Myles Straw later added RBI singles while Nathan Lukes had a two-run double to put É«É«À² in front 7-0.
That rally allowed the Jays to maintain their two-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.
Mad Max
Shapiro’s contract is believed to expire later this year while Atkins has one additional season. This might be the year to throw caution aside.
Shapiro’s contract is believed to expire later this year while Atkins has one additional season. This might be the year to throw caution aside.
Max Scherzer had his best outing yet in a Blue Jay uniform.
In his fourth start since returning from a right thumb injury, Scherzer allowed three runs on five hits while striking out eight across six innings.
The pitching line would have looked even better if the future Hall of Famer had not allowed a pair of home runs to Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom in his final inning.
Scherzer tossed a season-high 90 pitches en route to his first quality start of the year and along the way made a statement that he still deserves a spot in a playoff-calibre rotation.
His final pitch of the night was a 95-mph fastball, so stamina didn’t appear to be an issue.
All-around effort
Everyone in the Jays’ starting lineup reached base at least once and there were five players who finished with two hits, including Guerrero, who went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
They needed all those contributions because closer Jeff Hoffman entered in the ninth inning, allowed three runs on three hits and permitted the potential go-ahead run to step to the plate before finally shutting the door.
With the win, the Jays also improved to 5-0 against the A’s this season, but before it happened Hoffman was required to throw 33 pitches.
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