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July 23, 2022 • 2 hours ago • 5 minutes read • 9 comments Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Raimel Tapia reacts after hitting an inside-the-park grand slam against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park . Photo by Bob DeChiara /USA TODAY Sports
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BOSTON — He’s not a big rah-rah guy on speeches, but when John Schneider arrived at historic Fenway Park for his first road game as manager Friday afternoon, he came prepared with an upbeat message for the your team
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“Love to see you,” Schneider said in his welcome speech after the All-Star break. “Time to go.”
It was time, and then some, as the Jays responded to their new manager in historic fashion.
What followed was the franchise’s most impressive offensive showing as the Jays scored 27 runs in the first six innings on their way to 28, two shy of the Major League Baseball record by one. match
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That outburst, not surprisingly, set a Jays franchise record that had stood since June 26, 1978, when in their infancy as a club, they hit 24 against the Baltimore Orioles.
When the game ended mercifully, the Jays had outscored their American League East rivals 28-5.
The display was blistering in the first of a three-game weekend here in Boston’s Back Bay as the Jays looked for that rousing start to the unofficial second half of the season. And it was encouraging, as all nine starters recorded at least two hits and two runs scored.
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“We talked about it before the game that you can come out a little sleepy or you can come out hot and we came out hot, obviously,” Schneider said. “It was a fantastic performance all around. It was a lot of fun to watch.
“We have a very powerful lineup. You never expect something like that, but you enjoy it when you see it. You just try to ride the wave a little bit.”
The list of achievements was long, with records falling at the start and with the game still far from over as it took a full three hours just to complete the first six.
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An 11-run fifth inning and a seven-run third did the most explosive damage as the Jays hit five homers on the night.
The highlight of those back-and-forths was a third-inning, inside-the-park grand slam by Raimel Tapia, who was batting leadoff and playing center field for a resting George Springer.
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And that was an adventure in itself, as when the ball left his bat, Tapia grabbed his head and half-ran in what was expected to be a routine outing. But when Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran lost sight of the ball and allowed it to fall behind him, the run was on.
When Tapia slid home safely, it was just the second inside-the-park slam in Jays history, joining a wild run by Junior Felix in 1989 at the same ballpark. Tapia had a hit in each of the first six innings as the Jays continued to go through the order.
The Jays scored runs in each of the first six innings in what was also a historic assault on the Red Sox. When the visitors hit 27, incredulous to see that number affixed to the old manual scoreboard below the Green Monster in left field, it matched the franchise’s all-time record for most runs allowed since 7 of July 1923.
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Unsurprisingly, of course, the Jays’ 29 hits were also a franchise mark.
And how about that for Toronto’s run-scoring line taped to the old manual scoreboard below the Green Monster in left field: 1-2-7-4-11-2.
“It was unbelievable,” said Jays starter Kevin Gausman, who allowed five hits and three runs in seven innings. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that. Hit, after hit, after hit.
“It’s fun to see guys succeed, so that’s great. There are a lot of happy guys in there. Definitely a great start to the second half.”
A great start that only got better as the steamy night wore on in front of a frustrated crowd of 36,796 at the venerable ballpark.
The Jays showed little mercy against a division rival against whom they now hold an 8-3 record through 2022, a mark they’ll look to add to when ace Alek Manoah takes the mound Saturday afternoon.
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Catcher Danny Jansen hit a pair of home runs, each without a second, as did shots by Matt Chapman and Teoscar Hernandez.
Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays puts a jacket on Danny Jansen #9 after Jansen hit a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on July 22 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
For the first time in franchise history, all nine Jays starters recorded two or more hits in a game. It was the first time a team in the majors had all nine starters record multiple hits and runs scored since 1979, when the Angels did it to the Jays.
And again, long before the game was over, it was the first time three Jays players had recorded five or more RBIs in a game: Tapia and Jansen with six and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. with five
And what a crazy night it was for Gurriel, whose six hits on the night tied a club record.
The Red Sox are officially reeling now, dropping seven of their last eight. In their last three games, they have allowed a whopping 54 runs as opponents have put up double digits in each. With the loss, they also fell three games behind the Jays (51-43) for the AL’s final wild-card spot.
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While this type of performance would never have been expected in his first game as manager, Schneider is certainly committed to implementing his style in the team.
He made his points in a pregame huddle in the visitor’s cramped home of a steamy Fenway.
“It started with the meeting we had to go over the series and reiterate some of the things we’ve done a little bit differently in the five games (Schneider has done that),” the new skipper said before improving his record at 5-1 since taking over for the fired Charlie Montoyo. “We just reinforce that this is our way of thinking and that it will be beneficial for us in the future.
“The message is a little bit clearer for the guys. It’s nice to get everybody together every once in a while and take stock and see how everybody’s doing. I’ve always been a fan of that.”
Apparently, so are the players.
“It’s pretty cool,” Jansen said of the crazy outing. “As far as we’ve come as an organization and as a team and to start the second half like that … it’s very important for us.”
rlongley@postmedia.com
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