Toronto rookie rakes as Jays defeat Tigers
The Toronto Blue Jays are starting to think they’ve unearthed a gem in Teoscar Hernandez.
The outfielder, part of the July 31 deal that sent pitcher Francisco Liriano to the Houston Astros, showed off his athleticism, speed and power potential Sunday in an 8-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Toronto.
Hernandez, a September callup from triple-A Buffalo, hit a pair of home runs in the fourth and fifth innings, added a single and knocked in five RBIs. He also showed his quickness by scoring on a passed ball.
His only misstep was not waiting around to talk to the media afterwards. As reporters waited inside the clubhouse after speaking to Jays manager John Gibbons and winning pitcher J.A. Happ, Jay Stenhouse, the club’s vice-president of baseball media, walked over and announced Hernandez had left the stadium, as he had family in town.
Hernandez became the first Jays rookie with multi-homer game since J.P. Arencibia on July 22, 2011, and the 13th rookie in team history with five RBIs.
When asked if Hernandez has played better than anticipated since the Jays acquired him, Gibbons replied, tongue in cheek: “Well, today he did.”
Hernandez’s performance overshadowed a four-for-four performance by Darwin Barney. It was his first four-hit game since July 2, 2014. Kendrys Morales and Kevin Pillar each added a pair of hits for the Jays, who recorded their first series win since mid-August.
“I didn’t have the most impactful hits of the day — I think Teoscar took care of that — but it feels good to contribute and I struggled a little bit this year, so it was nice,” Barney said.
Anibal Sanchez allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for the Tigers.