Blue Jays dominance could result in best regular season in team's history
Those Rogers Centre crowds...
Different 💙🇨🇦 #lightsupletsgo pic.twitter.com/bgyJJIzxKL
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 22, 2025
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It's certainly helped that the Yankees have struggled since June 1, posting a 21-23 record.
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Toronto, a dominant 13-4 thus far in July, has eight games remaining in the month after they wrap things up with New York on Wednesday night — a crucial four-game series against the central division-leading Detroit Tigers and a trip to Maryland for four with the AL East bottom-dwelling Baltimore Orioles.
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If the Jays can hang on to the AL East lead for the rest of the year, it'll be the first time they've won the division since 2015.
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Who got them here
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Outside of the obvious All-Star and veteran talent, on paper, this wasn't a lineup that was expected to be this good.
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But from one end of the clubhouse to another, pitching to batting, just about everyone has meaningfully contributed to the surprising success so far.
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Veteran George Springer, who despite being among the squad's elder statesmen at 35, has always had the enthusiastic zeal of a much younger player, is now putting up numbers to match. Undoubtedly the team's MVP so far, the rightfielder leads the team in home runs (17) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.874) and was the hottest hitter through June and July.
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After a couple of middling seasons, shortstop Bo Bichette and catcher Alejandro Kirk have found consistency at the plate. The former leads the AL in doubles while the Mexican-born backstop has a team-best .304 batting average and a paltry 33 strikeouts in 303 at-bats.
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Addison Barger, called up from Triple-A Buffalo in mid-April, has settled into the majors nicely and become the most serendipitous bright spot for the Jays. The 25-year-old utility player — who looks very comfortable on third base — is second in dingers (14) and leads the club in slugging (.517) among active players.
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As for the face of the franchise, Vladimir Guerrero, who inked a 14-year $500-million contract extension just as the season began, the All-Star first baseman is putting up solid numbers — he's second in hits (104) and leads the team in runs (62) — but his home run and RBI production is short of where it's been over his career.
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Should he find more consistency at the dish, there's no telling how it could impact the club's fortunes.
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Meantime, players like Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, Will Wagner, Myles Straw, Tyler Heineman and, at times, Davis Schneider, have provided timely hitting and defence in the absence of Gold Glove centrefielder Daulton Varsho and $92-million newcomer Antony Santander, both out with injuries.
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Collectively, the team leads the majors with a .260 team batting average and the fewest strikeouts (671).
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On the rubber, the team ERA (4.10) could use improvement, but the core trio of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassit have been consistently improving as the season goes on, aided by a bullpen that's seen a lot of action. Manager John Schneider doesn't tend to let his starters go deep into games.
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As for Max Scherzer, who signed a one-year deal for $15.5 million, the three-time Cy Young winner is just getting going, having returned from an injury suffered in his Blue Jays debut in March.
The 41-year-old hurler was tough on himself after surrendering four runs to the Yankees on Monday.
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