Article: 23 Runs Scored, 23 Fun Facts: The Blue Jays' Offence Is Making History

[Jesse Burrill]

Postseason baseball is defined by epic moments, and for the past nine years, the Blue Jays were on the wrong side of those moments. But over the weekend, things finally changed. Trey Yesavage made history as a 22-year-old, and Kevin Gausman did what you want your number one starter to do.

But no one could have predicted the offensive explosion that came from the Blue Jays' bats. In total, they hit eight home runs, had 29 hits, and nine of the 12 batters that took an at-bat in the first two games of this series reached base more than once. All in all, it was 23 runs scored, and the Blue Jays find themselves up two games to none in the ALDS.

With so many notable performances to talk about, let's do it by the numbers – 23 of them to be exact, one for each run the Blue Jays scored this weekend.

23 - The number of runs the Blue Jays scored
The first one is easy, but scoring 23 runs in two games isn’t exactly new to the Blue Jays. They scored 25 over two games earlier in September against the Reds, they scored 23 against these same Yankees on July 1 and 2 (the latter was when the Blue Jays tied the Yankees for first place in the AL East), they did it against the Athletics at the end of May, and of course, they did it during the thrashing at Coors Field in the first week of August.

But doing it in the postseason is different. Baseball has been played for over 120 years, and not once has a team scored that many runs over their first two games of a postseason. No matter what happens from here on out, the Blue Jays' offence can not be taken lightly.

22 - The number of seconds in Ernie Clement's HR trot
This one is unofficial, but with a video and access to a stopwatch, this is what we came up with. It's worth noting because Ernie got the party started with a two-run home run off Max Fried on Sunday at a 94.1 exit velocity; it was the softest hit home run of the postseason so far (coming into games on Monday). Still, it counts just the same. Post-game, he said, “I don't remember a thing, I totally blacked out.” For “blacking out,” he still made it around the bases in good time.

21 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s average launch angle this weekend
The actual number is 21.1, but we can't go any further without talking about Vlad and his historic start to the postseason. He said at the start of the series that he wanted to be like Joe Carter, which is a great goal, but ultimately hard to do. Well, he did exactly that, hitting a solo home run to start off Game 1, and did it again in Game 2, hitting the first postseason grand slam in Blue Jays history – the most memorable moment of his playoff career so far. Putting the ball in the air is a big part of what Guerrero is doing right.

20 - The number of consecutive runs the Blue Jays scored
From the seventh inning of Game 1 to the sixth inning of Game 2, the Blue Jays outscored the Yankees 20-0. Twenty consecutive runs is the most within a series in postseason history (stat via Jorge Castillo of ESPN).

19 - The number of at-bats the Blue Jays had with runners in scoring position
Getting guys into scoring position is important, but bringing them in is even better. In Game 1, the Blue Jays were 5-for-10 with RISP, and they were 4-for-9 in Game 2. In a postseason series where small samples rule, getting hits with men on base is key, and the Blue Jays did that well over the first two games.

18 - The number of postseason games the Blue Jays have won at home in franchise history
This one isn’t so much about the offense in this series, but it’s important to remember the main goal, and that's to win games. The Blue Jays hope this number increases as the postseason progresses.

17 - The number of swings the Blue Jays took at 75 mph or harder
The Blue Jays' bat speed has been noticeable through the first two games. Guerrero's average swing speed so far has been 78.9 mph. That's more than 2 mph faster than his 76.7 mph season average and would be higher than Oneil Cruz, who led MLB in that stat with a 78.8 mph average bat speed during the regular season. He’s not swinging wildly either; 100% of his swings have been deemed competitive by Statcast. He’s locked in at the moment.

16 - The number of hard-hit balls the Blue Jays hit on average over the first two games
They had 18 hard hits in Game 1 and another 13 in Game 2. That will certainly play. Only Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ernie Clement are without one, and each of Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer all have four or more. Their 44.9% hard-hit rate is tops in the American League so far.

15 - The Blue Jays' run differential through two games
How do you like this one, Michael Kay? With so much talk throughout the early part of the season about the Blue Jays' run differential, they have a positive one when it matters most. Through two games, it's the highest in any of the divisional series so far.

14 - The number of extra-base hits Blue Jays batters have against Carlos Rodón in his career
This one is looking ahead to Game 3, but if history says anything, the Blue Jays may be able to continue their success. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 10-for-17 with a home run and three doubles against Rodón, Springer has two home runs, and Kirk has three doubles as well. 

13 - The number of hits/runs/RBI that Nathan Lukes and Andrés Giménez contributed this weekend
The storyline for the entire Blue Jays season has been getting production from unlikely sources. Lukes had a clutch two-RBI double in Game 1 to add some insurance, and Giménez did his part by adding three hits and was able to score every time he got on base. Don't forget about the defence these two provide as well.

12 - The number of total bases Daulton Varsho had in Game 2
Varsho’s performance hasn't been the most talked-about from the first two games, but maybe it should be. Two home runs and two doubles in Game 2, with both doubles coming off a fellow left-hander in Fried, can't go unnoticed. The 12 total bases are tied for the seventh most of all time in a playoff game, and the highest in Blue Jays franchise history.

11 - The percentage of pitches that were called strikes against the Blue Jays
The actual number is 10.8%, but we’ll round up. This number could have been the number of strikeouts Yesavage recorded, or how many runs the Blue Jays scored before the Yankees got their first hit, but we’ll go with this instead. This is impressive because it shows many things. First, the Blue Jays are just swinging the bat at pitches in the zone (79.1% zone swing rate, second-highest in the postseason), and they’re making contact on a high percentage of those swings (92.3%). In turn, they just aren't having many strikes called against them. Only Giménez has had even half of the pitches thrown to him be in the zone. It's something to monitor going forward.

10 - The number of players who made their postseason debut
The number will become 11 if/when Tyler Heineman makes an appearance, but some of the Blue Jays' hitters have had success in their first taste of October. Nathan Lukes had four hard-hit balls in his debut, Davis Schneider ripped a single in his first at-bat, Addison Barger had a hit, and Ernie Clement got the party started in Game 2. There were no jitters from the Blue Jays batters when the lights were a little brighter.

9 - The number of pitches Anthony Santander saw in his first postseason at-bat with the Blue Jays
Santander’s role on the postseason roster was in some question, but even though he didn’t have a massive moment like some of the others on the team, he was important in Game 1. He worked Luis Gil to a nine-pitch at-bat before striking out, fouling off six pitches in the process, which in turn forced the Yankees to turn to their bullpen early. Pair that with a single and a flyout that were both hit harder than 95 mph, and it could be a sign that good things are coming from Santander.

8 - The number of extra-base hits the Blue Jays had in Game 2
Five home runs and three doubles in any game is impressive, but in the postseason, it’s almost historic. Eight extra-base hits are tied for ninth all-time by a team in a playoff game. Pair that with the six the Jays had in Game 1, and this has been one of the best extra-base hit performances in postseason history. They've also hit eight home runs in the series, which is more than number seven...

7 - The number of times Blue Jays batters struck out
The Blue Jays have built their identity on avoiding strikeouts, and that has continued in the postseason. Davis Schneider is the only Blue Jays hitter who has struck out more than once.

6 - The number of at-bats Isiah Kiner-Falefa will have without a hit
This is if he goes 0-for-1 on his next trip up. With all the standout offensive performances from Toronto's first two games, Kiner-Falefa might feel a touch left out. In his five at-bats, he's gone: line out, groundout, fly out, groundout, strikeout. Kiner-Falefa isn’t known for his bat, but he was the only Blue Jay without a hit over the weekend, and it's worth mentioning.

5 - George Springer's place on the all-time postseason home run list
George Springer is no stranger to the spotlight; he’s won a World Series MVP before. The Blue Jays were dreaming of some big postseason moments when he signed in Toronto. Over the weekend, he came through; his 403-foot home run in the fifth inning of Game 2 moved him into a tie with Derek Jeter for fifth on the all-time postseason home run list. Next up is Kyle Schwarber, who still has a chance to add some more this October, and is currently sitting at 21.

4 - Addison Barger’s rank in max swing speed this postseason
Addison Barger has always been a player who swings hard, but he’s taken it to another level in the postseason. His flyout in Game 1 had an 85.6 mph swing speed, which was his third-fastest of the season and trails only Giancarlo Stanton for fastest in the playoffs (Stanton has three swings of 86 mph or faster this October). Not only are the Blue Jays not swinging and missing much, they’re swinging harder than ever. Barger included.

3 - The % of pitches thrown against the Blue Jays that turned into home runs
The real number is 2.8%, but who's counting? This is just another stat that shows how often the Blue Jays have been hitting home runs; the next closest team is the Dodgers, who have hit a home run on 1.3% of the pitches they've seen. Major league average is 0.8%. There's no other way to put it: The Blue Jays are mashing at a historic rate.

2 - The number of Blue Jays with multi-home run games this series
Shoutout to Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. Kirk has been out of this world lately, with five home runs over his last three games, going back to the last few games of the regular season. And Varsho was mentioned earlier. They became the fourth and fifth Blue Jays to hit multiple home runs in a postseason game, joining:

• Teoscar Hernández (2022)
• Danny Jansen (2020)
• José Bautista (2015)

Kirk is the first catcher to do it against the Yankees since Johnny Bench, and that's good company to be paired with.

1 - The number of wins the Blue Jays need to advance to the ALCS
After all that is said and done, the Blue Jays did what was most important: They won the first two games of the series. Now, the challenge isn’t over. They still have to make sure the offence doesn’t cool off and they can keep things rolling as they head to New York. Thankfully, they just have to win one of the next three games to punch their ticket to the ALCS for the third time since 2015. If the bats keep swinging like this, then that won't be a problem.

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[Mike LeSage]

Hell yeah! What a great countdown. 

[Terry Mesmer]

According to Baseball Reference, Yankees were 45-44 with a +1 run differential against teams that were .500 or better. Also, Yankees were 5-8 with a -11 run differential against the Blue Jays in the regular season. NYY has a -15 RD against the Jays in this series. In fact, Yankees have scored 17 runs in five games this postseason while the Jays have scored 23 runs in just two games.