Bichette knocks down house with two homer night as Blue Jays hit Yankees

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About five hours passed before the curtain call and the fist dance around the bases after one of the biggest home runs of his young career.
Bo Bichette was speaking with the confidence of a veteran, not a young player trying to fight his way through the latter stages of his first full season in the majors, one with potentially wavering playoff hopes.

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The calm would turn to chaos as Wednesday afternoon turned to night and after a two-homer game by the Blue Jays shortstop, the man who shot in a dramatic 6-5 win over the New York Yankees to keep Toronto’s playoff light flashing.

Bichette’s solo shot in the eighth inning brought the house down for one of the Blue Jays’ most dramatic – and frankly biggest – victories in what still has a chance to be a magical 2021 season.

And perhaps best of all for Bichette and his still-growing team, the Blue Jays weren’t intimidated by a Yankees group that brought a seven-game winning streak to the top.

“We don’t look at (the Yankees) like that,” Bichette said when asked before the game if this precocious team felt intimidated by the Bronx Bombers. “We know what we can achieve. If it happens this year, it happens this year.
“But I think what we’re going through right now… I can’t really say how beneficial it will be in the future. We are only focused on the best that we can be, either way. “

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The Blue Jays certainly got a taste of what’s in store for them in Toronto, should they continue on the path to perennial contenders.

A nearly sold-out crowd of 29,601 at Rogers Center erupted as Bichette’s second home run of the night cleared the wall in center field to regain a lead his team had held for much of the night.

It was a crucial victory, of course, that kept the Blue Jays chasing both the Yankees and Red Sox for a wild-card spot in the American League. Boston held a one-game lead for second place with a win over the Orioles, but the Blue Jays moved two from the Yankees for first place.

More than anything, Wednesday’s victory once again demonstrated just how tough the team can be.

They took it to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole early, thanks to Bichette’s first dinger of the night, three hits from George Springer and a record round trip from Marcus Semien.

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A playoff quest can be excruciating, character-building or weakening a player or team. The Jays are growing significantly with the process.

“A playoff race, learning how to deal with adrenaline … I think it’s something that gets fixed pretty easily when you get to work,” Bichette said. “The (Yankees) are just another team trying to achieve what we are trying to achieve. I don’t see them as of a higher level than us. “

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By improving to 88-70, the Blue Jays showed a lot on Wednesday, thanks to the hard work of starter Jose Berríos, who missed the Yankees in 4.2 innings and gave his team the kind of decisive start it needed.

They got it from Springer, who started the game with a double, the first of two of the night. And they got it from the notable Semien, who with 44 home runs after his first-inning blast set an MLB record for the most round-trip crew in a season by a second baseman.

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An exciting night everywhere, yes, but a learning experience once again, something that Springer has encouraged his team to embrace.

The Blue Jays' Marcus Semien celebrates his home run off George Springer in the first inning.  VAUGHN RIDLEY / GETTY IMAGES
The Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien celebrates his home run off George Springer in the first inning. VAUGHN RIDLEY / GETTY IMAGES

“It’s been exciting, enjoy it and honestly, whatever happens,” said Springer. “Obviously the goal is to win and advance as far as we can, but (also) understand that this is the kind of baseball we want to play as a team at this point in the season.”

The 2017 World Series MVP said he has seen no signs of negative energy from his teammates, but more excited at the challenge of beating a proven team like the Yankees with so much at stake.

“Every time you have butterflies, I think it’s excitement,” Springer said. “In my opinion, if you are not nervous, it means that you are not prepared. I don’t think that’s the case at all with these guys.

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“The more you go through it, the better you will be. This is the first full season for most of this squad. “

The Blue Jays will have to regroup for Thursday’s final of the three-game series, one of four games remaining. Left-hander Robby Ray will be on the mound for the rubber game and expects a possible exclamation point in his quest for the AL Cy Young Award.

“It’s incredible, a ball game like this,” said Berríos, who retired the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a double in the fifth inning to Gleyber Torres. “That is why I love this game. (The crowd) gave me an idea of ​​a playoff game. “

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And for Bichette and the rest of her classmates, the hunger for this to happen.

“These are the most important moments of my life so far,” said Bichette. “Hopefully there are much bigger ones in the future.”

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AROUND THE BASES

Offensive superlatives were enough, as both Bichette and Semien hit 100 RBIs, making the Blue Jays the first team in MLB history to have four players at the century mark in the same season. “To do that, you have to play every day,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “And that’s what they do, they are ready to play every day.” … With his two home runs, Bichette has 28 on the season beating Tony Batista (26 in 1999) by the most by a shortstop in club history. It was his third multi-homer game of the season … Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s fifth RBI double in the inning snapped a 0-for-20 career drought. It was his first RBI since Sept. 19.

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