The Toronto Blue Jays ended July in a situation that fans were all too familiar with. The club was two games over .500, six games back of the AL East and undefined as whether they were true contenders or would fade away in the season’s final two months, which the team had a habit of doing in the past. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos decided it was time to go all-in at the trade deadline and made huge moves, trading for Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe, and Ben Revere. The club was markedly improved, but nobody could have predicted how good the club would become almost instantly.
Toronto rattled of 21 wins in 27 games in August (including an 11 game winning streak), the best monthly record in team history, routinely dominating opponents by out-slugging and out-pitching them. The team posted a +87 run differential in August, which is laughably ridiculous. It didn’t matter who they were facing, the Blue Jays kept doing their thing – scoring runs often. Soon, the team took the top spot in the AL East from the Yankees and went from being barely over .500 to 17 games over (74-57). The Rogers Centre was selling out, fans were being louder than ever, and baseball mattered in Toronto.
#BlueJays averaged 42,233 per home game in August. Troy Tulowitzki: “I don't know anything different”
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) September 1, 2015
The club’s magical August happened due to the contributions of many players who stepped up at the right time.
Edwin Encarnacion, who was having a tough season before last month, went bananas in August, hitting 11 home runs, driving in 35 runs, hitting .407, and getting on base at a .460 clip. He was locked in every single game, which was evident by his ongoing 26 game hitting streak. With Encarnacion becoming a huge factor in the lineup, it’s made the middle of the Blue Jays’ order, which was already absurd, even more powerful.
Josh Donaldson put himself right in the thick of the AL MVP race, which is hard to do with Mike Trout in the same league, with his impressive August. Donaldson’s numbers, like Encarnacion’s, felt like they came straight out of someone playing a video game on easy mode. He obliterated almost every thing thrown his way.
#GottaSeeIt: @BringerOfRain20's jaw-dropping 500-level blast. http://t.co/rxS46VbXaB
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 29, 2015
For the month he hit 11 home runs, scored 29 runs, knocked in 35, hit .324 and posted a .408 OBP. His play on both sides of the diamond were stellar, and Blue Jays fans rightly showered the third baseman with loud MVP chants. I mean, listen to this excitement. That’s pure baseball adrenaline.
Now that's loud!!! #BlueJays #MVP http://t.co/yDBxAM8oqh
— David Speedie (@DavidSpeedie) September 1, 2015
Newly acquired ace David Price has given the Blue Jays a chance to win in all six starts (all quality starts) in which he appeared. Toronto was desperate for a front-line starter, and acquiring Price was the most important change the club underwent entering August. So far, Price has come as advertised, striking out 50 batters in 43 innings, walking only eight, while winning four games and posting a 2.28 ERA in the month. The 30 year old hasn’t had a bad start, and he’s set the tone for the rest of the pitching staff with his consistently great stuff.
While I highlight those three players, almost all of the players on the Blue Jays 25 man roster contributed in some shape or form in August – from Ryan Goins to Bo Schultz. The team actually feels like a cohesive unit, with the clubhouse chemistry, at least from a spectators appearance, sky high. There’s something special about this group. The city of Toronto is ready to see playoff baseball for the first time since winning it all back in ’93. This Blue Jays team has given every indication that a deep playoff run is something which is entirely possible, and that should have Blue Jays fans jumping for joy.
Will the club post another month like they have in August? That’s unlikely, but one thing is for sure, baseball is back in Toronto.
