The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t wait long to find their groove after the All-Star break. They put on an offensive clinic on Friday night, defeating the Boston Red Sox 28-5.
Left fielder Rymel Tapia Finished a 3-for-7 performance at the plate with six RBIs and a grand slam. That homer was an inside-the-park job — the second in Blue Jays franchise history. Michael A. for the Washington Nationals in 2017. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Taylor did it.
The Jays did most of the damage in the fifth inning as they scored 11 runs in that frame. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who played his first 20 seasons for the New England Patriots, observed Boston’s rough night. Brady, of course, has a history of epic comebacks, coming back from 25 points down to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. However, unlike Brady, the Red Sox had no such magic Friday night.
It would be a terrible story @Edelman11! https://t.co/2hQfw6ns5l
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 23, 2022
History, both good and bad, was made in this game for both Boston and Toronto.
The Blue Jays scored the most runs against the Red Sox in 100 years. Check out some of the other numbers:
28: Toronto’s 28 on Friday was the most in franchise history. It broke the previous mark of 24 on June 26, 1978 against the Baltimore Orioles. For the Red Sox, it set the mark for most runs allowed in any game in franchise history. That streak was nearly a century — 27 by the Cleveland Guardians against Boston on July 17, 1923.
To put this offensive onslaught in perspective, Friday was the 8,744th game at Fenway Park. The Blue Jays scored more runs there than any team that came before them.
11: Toronto’s 11 runs in the fifth tied a franchise record for most in a single inning. The Blue Jays have done it four times, most recently against the Orioles in 2021.
25: On Friday, the Jays exited the fifth inning with 25 total runs, tied for the most by an MLB team through five innings since 1900 (1922 Cubs).
5: For the first time in Blue Jays history, three different players had at least five RBIs (Tapia, Lourdes Curiel Jr. And Danny Johnson)
29: Toronto recorded 29 hits against Boston, the most in a single game in team history. That surpassed his 25-hit performance in a 19–4 win over the Texas Rangers on August 9, 1999. All nine starters recorded at least two hits and scored two runs each, as the Jays became only the second team to do so since 1900 (1979 Los Angeles Angels).
19: In two-out scenarios, the Blue Jays still found ways to put runs on the board — 19 of Toronto’s 28 runs came with two outs. It was the most two-out runs scored by a team since the Red Sox scored 22 on August 21, 1986.
6: Kuriel had a 6-for-7 game with five RBIs and three runs scored. His six wins tied Frank Catalanotto’s (2004) for team history.
ESPN Statistics and Information Research contributed to this story.
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