Blue Jays' turnaround reaches new peak with MLB's best record

New York Times

a day ago

Days before the 2024 trade deadline, Bo Bichette acquiesced to reality. It could've been his final days with the Toronto Blue Jays, the only franchise he'd ever known, and Bichette was well aware. The team sat nine games out of a playoff spot, destined to sell off key players.
The Jays traded plenty of players last year — Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi García, Justin Turner and more — but not their shortstop. Now, 12 months later, Bichette's reality has changed. The state of the Blue Jays couldn't feel more different. There will be no selling trades, as Toronto sits atop Major League Baseball.
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'It's just exciting,' Bichette said. 'I think having so much success, winning success, early in my career, you take it for granted and don't realize how hard it is. But to be back in a position where there's a belief around the team, it's just cool to be a part of again, and I'm grateful for it.'
With a 6-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday, the Jays pushed to 62-42 on the season. They've led the American League East for three weeks and recently pushed up the AL standings. But the latest win solidified Toronto atop all of baseball, at least for a day, with MLB's best record.
'It's cool, for tonight,' manager John Schneider said to reporters in Detroit. 'And we've got a lot of games left to play.'
Few could've predicted a turnaround of this magnitude. Even after a tough month of games to start 2025, the Jays sat two games under .500. In April, things still 'looked a lot like last year,' Bichette said. Since then, Toronto is 48-26, a 105-win pace. A strong June nudged Toronto close to the postseason picture, and a 10-game win streak vaulted the team into serious contention.
The Jays entered the All-Star break atop the AL East. Excitement brewed, though doubts simmered around the sustainability of Toronto's rise. It outperformed its expected record by five wins, and seemingly every victory came on the back of an unexpected and unheralded hero. But the rise hasn't stopped since.
Friday's victory held plenty of heroes, once again. Eight Toronto players recorded a hit, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who's batting .437 since the break, earned a pair. The face of the franchise lashed at a breaking ball in the fifth, pulling a hit onto open grass to double the lead. Bichette followed it with a ripped line drive of his own, backstopping José Berríos' quality start with two more runs.
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As Yariel Rodríguez polished off the contest with a clean ninth inning, the Jays surpassed the Milwaukee Brewers for baseball's best record. Though 42 games still stand between Toronto and October, with every victory, the turnaround becomes harder to deny.
'It's just a special group,' Bichette said. 'So many guys. I mean, every single person in the locker room has contributed to multiple wins, been the reason why we win games. So it's just been a fun group to be part of.'
(Photo of George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)