After beating the Dodgers in the final game of their most recent three-game set, the Blue Jays continued their momentum into Friday on Jumpin’ George Springer bobblehead giveaway night, beating the Minnesota Twins 10-4. The bullpen was electric, and the bats finally came alive. Let’s take a look at how the team got the job done.
Patrick Corbin made his Blue Jays debut after signing a week ago, getting the start with hopes to provide length so as not to deplete the bullpen in the early goings. The once crafty southpaw saw some unfortunate contact lead to two singles via former Blue Jay prospect Austin Martin and Luke Keaschall in the first inning, before Ryan Jeffers took him deep, giving the Twins an immediate 3-0 lead.
Corbin made it through the next two innings unscathed before Brooks Lee would take him deep to left field via a solo shot, giving the Twins a 4-0 lead. At this point, the Blue Jays’ bats looked completely stunned by former Toronto prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, who cruised through his first three innings scoreless.
Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. roped a double to left field, setting up cleanup man Jesús Sánchez with a run-scoring opportunity. Sánchez cashed in Guerrero with a double of his own, putting the Jays on the board and cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Later in the inning, Davis Schneider hit yet another double, bringing in Sanchez to cut the lead in half, 4-2. Andres Gimenez followed suit in the same inning, bringing home Schneider on a single, that made the score 4-3.
Then entered Brandon Valenzuela, making just his third career MLB start behind the plate, after being called up from triple-A last weekend for the injured Alejandro Kirk. Expected to be a defence-first catcher, Valenzuela surprised everyone in the building, launching his first career Major League home run, scoring Gimenez and giving the Blue Jays their first lead of the night, 5-4. It was undeniably the biggest offensive inning the team had seen to that point all season.
Woods Richardson was removed from the game after four innings, handing the ball to another former Jay in Anthony Banda in the fifth. He served up a solo home run to Daulton Varsho, making the score 6-4. It was Varsho’s first home run of the year and a sign of more offence to come.
In the bottom of the sixth, with Banda still on the mound, Schneider would draw a walk to set up Ernie Clement. The fan-favourite hit a double him to bring Schneider home, making the score 7-4 for Toronto. George Springer then doubled on his bobblehead night, scoring Clement and giving the Jays an 8-4 advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, the identical twin of Blue Jays reliever Tyler Rogers, Taylor Rogers, entered the game, and surrendered a single to Guerrero Jr. The Blue Jays’ first baseman stole second base, allowing Schneider to score him via a single of his own, giving Toronto a 9-4 lead.
Then, in the bottom of the eighth against Twins reliever Justin Topa, Valenzuela would record his second hit of the night on an infield single. That set up Guerrero Jr., who hit his third hit of the night and drove in the tenth and final run for the Jays.
Braydon Fisher collected the final six outs of the game, securing a 10-4 victory over Minnesota in the opening game of a critical three-game stretch where the team looks to get back over .500.
Key Takeaways…
After a miserable first three innings for the Blue Jays offence, it was an incredibly refreshing sight to see the bats come alive late in the game, with Kazuma Okamoto being the only starter to not record a hit in the contest. Friday’s game was also the first game of the 2026 season in which the team scored double-digit runs, truly tapping into their offensive potential for the first time in the young season.
Entering play on Friday, Daulton Varsho held a .184 batting average with just two extra base hits on the young season, and recorded a double and a home run in the opener, showing a sign of life in the two spot of the lineup.
After hitting his first home run of the season last weekend in Chicago against the White Sox, it appeared as though Guerrero was amidst another offensive slump in the recent Dodgers series, which he immediately snapped out of against the Twins.
All three of his hits on Friday left his bat at over 100 mph, with his hardest hit of the day producing an exit velocity of 115.7 mph. It was an encouraging sign for the Jays’ superstar, who looks to continue mashing the ball in the middle of the lineup.
The bullpen was otherworldly in relief of Corbin, who provided just four innings in his Blue Jays debut. Four arms combining to cover five innings, allowing just one hit to the Twins offence. Joe Mantiply picked up a win, striking out all three batters he faced in his lone inning of work. Louis Varland was efficient through 1.1 innings, and Braydon Fisher struck out four of the seven batters he faced.
It was a much-needed win for the Blue Jays, who will now look to continue riding a hot hand in Saturday’s afternoon contest against the Twins, beginning at 3:07 pm EST. It will be Eric Lauer on the bump, as the team looks to win their second series of the season.
