The Toronto Blue Jays hit so many home runs, so often, that visiting bullpens are cowering in fear at the SkyDome.
Literally.
After four Tuesday night, and 13 in their last five, give Toronto 215 jacks on the season. (Jacks, long balls, taters ... what am I missing?) And of those most recent 13, none, believe it or not, have come as a result of Jose Bautista's -- I love the following description -- violent swing.
Your 2010 Blue Jays are averaging 1.58 dingers -- How could I forget dingers? -- a game. To eclipse the team record of 244, set 10 years ago when Tony Bautista and Carlos Delgado hit 41 apiece, and Brad Fullmer hit 32, and Jose Cruz hit 31, and Raul Mondesi hit 24, and Shannon Stewart hit 21, and Darrin Fletcher hit 20, and Alex Gonzalez hit 15, they need 30 bombs -- how could I forget bombs? -- in 24 games; 1.25 a contest.
Records are falling. Records will fall. Not bad for a rebuilding season. Entertaining, at the very least. And, hey, just imagine Toronto's on-base percentage wasn't a laughable .314, good for 27th in the league, in the company of the Houstons, Baltimores, Pittsburghs and Seattles of the baseball world. (FYI: In the World Series years -- the salad days -- Toronto's OBPs were .333 and .350, respectively.)
I can. If more Blue Jays got on base, fewer would go yard. And then, who knows, maybe that photo, that priceless moment in the Texas Rangers bullpen, doesn't happen. Doesn't get captured. That would have been a shame.
Year of the pitcher? The Toronto Blue Jays would disagree.
Epic image courtesy daylife.
