Hernandez powers Jays over Tigers
Left-fielder Teoscar Hernandez was so excited by the biggest game of his young career that he couldn’t wait to see his family visiting him in Toronto. Unfortunately, that meant rushing out of the clubhouse before anyone else got to speak with him.
The 24-year-old Hernandez hit home runs in back-to-back innings and batted in five runs to power Toronto past the Detroit Tigers, 8-2, in American League baseball action Sunday afternoon.
He is the first Blue Jays rookie with a multihomer game since J.P. Arencibia did it on July 22, 2011. He also added a single and scored a run in only his seventh game with Toronto.
“If you’ve been around the game for a while it’s nice to see the wide-eyed look, the excitement,” said veteran infielder Darwin Barney, who went 4 for 4 on the day. “It brings some energy to these games where maybe both teams aren’t necessarily where they want to be. There’s a lot to be played for right now for some people, so it was fun to watch.”
Hernandez played 41 games for the Houston Astros in 2016 and one game for them in 2017 before coming to Toronto with veteran outfielder Nori Aoki in a trade for pitcher Francisco Liriano on July 31. Although he had previously played in 48 MLB games, Hernandez still qualifies as a rookie since he had less than 130 at-bats heading into Sunday’s game.
His enthusiasm on and off the field is a welcome addition to a Blue Jays team that will be missing the post-season for the first time in three years.
“I told him congrats every time he came through the dugout,” said Toronto manager John Gibbons. “They’re getting a lot of backslapping so they don’t need a lot from me, really. Kid’s got a big smile. Kid’s got energy, enthusiasm. One of those guys that brings energy.”
Hernandez hit his second homer in a four-run fifth inning that saw every Toronto (66-77) batter come to the plate. Shortstop Richard Urena, another September call-up, also played well with a leadoff single in the first inning that he later scored on.
J.A. Happ (8-10) struck out nine over six innings of work, allowing two runs — one earned — as the Blue Jays won the three-game series with back-to-back wins. Happ’s solid performance is welcome news for the Jays, who had to end right-hander Aaron Sanchez’s season after Sunday’s game due to persistent blistering on his throwing hand.