Well, that was certainly a game of baseball that was played. Many expected a close battle between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Both teams were neck-and-neck in the Wild Card race, after all. After an awful showing against the Yankees, surely the Red Sox would come out firing on all cylinders… right?
Well, no. The Blue Jays stepped on the Red Sox' famed Fenway Park and absolutely demolished the home team in front of their fans. The result was an embarrassingly lopsided 28-5 win for the Jays as the continue to jockey for prime playoff position. It was one of the most dominant performances in modern MLB history.
Let's take a look at some historical numbers to see just how insane this game was. Here are some insane records that were broken during the Blue Jays-Red Sox game, and a few other records that were ALMOST overtaken.
2 most insane records broken during Blue Jays-Red Sox game
2. Most runs given up by Red Sox in one game
Let's get this out of the way first: this was an embarrassing performance from the Red Sox on the defensive end of the ball. The Blue Jays did have five home runs during that game, two of which came from catcher Danny Jansen. They also collected a whopping 29 (!!!) hits during the game. The most telling play of the game was this absolutely horrendous effort from the team that allowed an inside-the-park grand slam by Raimel Tapia. (via ClutchPoints)
Is it any surprise that the Red Sox gave up the most runs in a single game in franchise history? (via Troy Renck)
1. Blue Jays set franchise record for most runs scored in a game.
On the flip side, we had the Blue Jays, who had quite possibly the greatest collective effort by a team in the last few years. Every single player stepped up for them big time to secure the win, in their own ways.
We've already mentioned Jansen, who scored two big home runs in the fourth and sixth innings to prop the Blue Jays up higher. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was also his usual dependable self during the game. He did not hit a home run during the game, but his six hits continually applied pressure to a crumbling Red Sox defense. Those six hits, by the way, also tied a Blue Jays record from 2004.
The bulk of the damage dealt by the Blue Jays came in the fifth inning against the Red Sox. In that inning, the men in blue scored a whopping 11 runs.. It's no surprise, then, that the Jays broke their franchise record for most runs in a single game… during the half-way point of the game.
Which MLB records were ALMOST broken by the Jays?
Unfortunately, the Blue Jays just missed out on a couple of incredible MLB records against the Red Sox. After that magical fifth inning, the team didn't try too hard to run up the score. It's a logical move: you don't want your players overextending and potentially hurting themselves while chasing a regular-season record with the game all but over. Unfortunately, it robbed fans of a potentially historic moment.
The Blue Jays were TWO runs away from tying the record for most runs scored by a single team during a game. The modern-day MLB record is 30, set by the Texas Rangers against the Baltimore Orioles in 2007. That game featured players like Travis Metcalf, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Marlon Byrd. It looked like they were gunning for that record in the ninth inning, when the Jays racked up three hits to score Gurriel Jr. home. Unfortunately, they couldn't keep up the pace, and the next batters were eventually retired.
The Blue Jays – Red Sox game almost broke the record for the largest run differential in a single game as well. That record stands at 27, during the same Rangers-Orioles game in 2007. The Jays looked like they were on pace to do just that, before a couple of garbage time runs from the Red Sox ended any hope of that record being broken. The game would eventually end with a 23-run differential for Toronto, which is still pretty damn impressive.
As the MLB regular season is nearing it's final stretch, the Blue Jays desperately needed this win. With the Yankees holding an insurmountable lead in their division, their best chance to make the playoffs is through a Wild Card spot. Holding off one of their biggest competitors (and dealing them a severe psychological blow) will surely help them in their goals.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, should look to erase the memory of this game (and really, this entire week) from their minds. They were looking pretty good prior to this game, finding a steady groove on both sides of the ball. We'll see how they bounce back from this defeat in the next few days.
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