The 5 best Blue Jays hitting performances in 2019

Oct 11 2019, 5:15 pm

Pitching was a pain point for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, but they certainly excelled at hitting, with their bountiful crop of exciting young rookies driving the bus.

Once they got past the month of May — which was one of their worst months on offence in franchise history — the Blue Jays’ bats came alive through the final four months of the 2019 campaign.

From June 1 onward, Blue Jays hitters amassed the fifth-most home runs in Major League Baseball. Whether it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, or Cavan Biggio, the team received contributions from the entire lineup with 13 hitters slugging 10 or more home runs.

If we’re handing out gold stars for the best hitting performances of the season, we had to limit the short list to the five best individual games from the 2019 season.

5. Rowdy hits back-to-back jacks: (May 21 vs Red Sox)

2 home runs, 5 RBI’s

Rowdy Tellez enjoyed three multi-home run games during the 2019 season, but his two-homer night on May 21 was arguably his most impressive.

Tellez teed off on Eduardo Rodriguez in consecutive at bats and collected five RBI’s in this game, setting a new career high.

4. Vladdy hits 2 dingers (May 14 vs Giants)

2 home runs, 3 hits, reaches base 4 times

It took 14 games, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. broke through in a big way with the first (and second) home runs of his big league career on May 14 at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

The length on his first home run was impressive, but his second homer of the game was an absolute moonshot. Travelling 451 feet total, it was Vladdy’s longest home run from his rookie campaign and the second longest home run from a Blue Jays hitter in 2019.

3. Drury hits 2 homers in epic comeback (Jul 27 vs Rays)

2 home runs, 4 hits

During this game, the Blue Jays suffered an eight-run deficit to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays clawed their way back thanks in part to a pair of home runs off the bat of Brandon Drury.

His second dinger knotted the game at 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth inning, which was the catalyst for the eventual walk-off win in extra innings. Drury contributed in a big way with four hits and two home runs against the Rays.

2. Bichette hits 2 home runs off Kershaw (Aug 20 vs Dodgers)

2 home runs off Clayton Kershaw

Bo Bichette made his MLB debut on July 29 and never took his foot off the gas pedal. He began his career by setting a new MLB record by hitting a double in nine consecutive games.

Bichette’s best night at the plate came on August 20 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. In three plate appearances against Clayton Kershaw, Bichette went deep not once, but twice.

The 21-year-old was the fifth hitter in MLB history to hit two home runs off Kershaw in the same game. Two home runs off one of the greatest pitchers of this generation.

Bichette only had a two month-stint with the Blue Jays, but he likely garners some Rookie of the Year votes because of his impressive rookie season.

1. Biggio hits for the cycle (Sep 17 vs Orioles)

4 hits, cycle

On September 17, Cavan Biggio did the unthinkable; he ended an 18-year drought for Blue Jays hitters by collecting the third cycle in franchise history.

The 24-year-old second baseman capped off the night by collective the elusive triple which completed the cycle. Biggio can bundle his name along with Jeff Frye and Kelly Gruber as the only Blue Jays to accomplish this ultra-rare feat.

A single, double, triple and a home run all in the same game. It may have been against the lowly Baltimore Orioles, but it still counts towards the record books.

Ian HunterIan Hunter

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