Ten Years Ago
The Blue Jays defeated the Twins 9-6, highlighted by Josh Donaldson’s first—and only—career three-homer game. Fans tossed hats onto the field in celebration (technically caps, but “cap trick” just doesn’t have the same ring).
The victory improved the Jays’ record to 74-56, putting them two games ahead of the Red Sox for first place. Although they ultimately finished second, they beat the Orioles in the Wild Card game—a moment made unforgettable by Edwin Encarnacion’s home run.
For the
Twins, it marked their tenth consecutive loss, dropping them to 49-81 and cementing their place at the bottom of the AL Central.
From the GameThread:
Josh Donaldson fouled a ball off his knee in the first inning, clearly in pain. At that point, I was all for taking him out of the game.
Then, in the third inning, he made two errant throws—including one for an error—and I was even more convinced he should come out.
Then, he responded by launching three home runs—all to dead center, each one crushed.
His first homer broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning.
The Twins put up four runs in the fifth, taking a 5-2 lead.
The Jays answered with two runs in the sixth, thanks to a two-run single from Devon Travis.
Donaldson’s second homer came during a four-run fifth inning, putting the Jays ahead for good.
His third and final homer was a solo shot in the eighth.
Donaldson drove in four runs. Troy Tulowitzki contributed a home run of his own, B.J. Upton added two RBIs, and Jose Bautista went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot.
R.A. Dickey got the start and struggled: 6 innings, 5 runs (3 earned). Scott Feldman—who, somewhat surprisingly, appeared in 14 games for the Jays that year—picked up the win.
34 Years Ago
The Jays suffered a 22-2 defeat at the hands of the Brewers, who tallied an astonishing 31 hits.
- Jimmy Key started but exited after just 1.2 innings, having surrendered three earned runs.
- Mike Timlin allowed four earned runs in 1.1 innings.
- Doug Linton managed just one out while giving up six earned runs.
- Bob MacDonald provided some length, throwing 3.2 innings and allowing three earned runs.
- Mark Eichhorn surrendered three more runs in his inning of work.
- David Wells gave up the final three runs in the ninth.
Despite the drubbing, in the “All’s Well That Ends Well” department, the Jays would ultimately go on to win the World Series.
