TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays took the first game of this weekend series in Queens by a score of 3-0 last night…Marked their MLB-leading 9th shutout of the season (2nd: TB – 8)…Now have nine wins when scoring three-or-fewer runs, one off the MLB lead (BAL/MIA – 10). Toronto has won four of its last five games and five of its last seven contests, coming on the heels of a 2-9 stretch…Can claim a 3rd straight series with a win this afternoon.
A LEADING ROLE: George Springer kicked off last night’s game with a leadoff home run to straightaway center field…Marked his 8th longball of the year…Gave him 54 leadoff home runs for his career, moving him ahead of Craig Biggio and into a tie with Alfonso Soriano for 2nd most alltime. The right fielder has gone 32-for-104 (.308) with four doubles, a triple, five home runs, 13 RBI, and a 13BB/16K ratio during his last 27 contests (.385 OBP, .894 OPS)…Has raised his season batting average by 43 points since May 2nd (from .216 to .259).
BUYING ROAD INSURANCE: Daulton Varsho connected for a two-run homer in the 9th inning last night to give Toronto a 3-0 lead…Marked his 9th longball of the season and his 4th homer in the 9th inning, tied with Yordan Alvarez for the most in the Majors…Is now batting .268 (34-for-127) during his 33 road games, including 15 extra-base hits and 22 RBI for an .828 OPS. The outfielder has extended his hitting streak to six games, going 6-for-24 (.250) with a double, two homers, and four RBI (.792 OPS)…Also has a signed bat to raise money for the Healey & AMG Center for ALS up for auction at mlbcharities.auctions.mlb.com.
A HOUND ON THE MOUND: Chris Bassitt fired 7.2 shutout frames in his return to Citi Field last night…Allowed three hits while recording a season-high-tying eight strikeouts without a walk… Now has four starts of 7+ shutout innings this season, tied with Eduardo Rodriguez for the most in the Majors…His .198 opponents’ batting average for the year is 3rd best among AL pitchers (6th in MLB) while his 74.0 innings pitched are 5th most.
MULTI-TALENTED: Bo Bichette singled twice in a 2-for-4 effort last night… Was his AL-leading 24th multi-hit game, one back of Freddie Freeman (25) for the most in MLB… Extended his road hitting streak to 14 games, tied for the longest of his career (May 24-June 22, 2022)…Is 25-for-62 (.403) with nine extra-base hits and 10 RBI over that stretch (1.083 OPS). The 25-year-old has hits in 12 of his last 13 games, going 22-for-58 (.379) with a double, a triple, three home runs, and nine RBI (.976 OPS)…Leads all MLB hitters with 83 hits (2nd: Freeman – 79)…Also leads the AL with 132 total bases, trailing only Freeman (134) for the most in MLB…His .335 batting average ranks 1st in the AL while he is currently 4th in SLG (.532), 5th in OPS (.902), 8th in OBP (.370), and T-8th in home runs (12)…Now has 99 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (102) for the AL lead.
A WEEKEND IN THE CITI: The Blue Jays are on a brief, three-game road trip to Citi Field…Own a 16-17 road record this season for a .485 win% (6th in the AL)…After this series, will return home for a seven-game homestand, taking on the Astros (34-23) for four games and then the wins (31-27) for three. Blue Jays hitters lead the Majors with 312 road hits (2nd: TEX – 292)…Rank 2nd in the AL in road AVG (.266), 2nd in road SLG (.439), 2nd in road OPS (.769) and 5th in road OBP (.330)…The pitching staff ranks 12th in the AL in road ERA (4.43), 13th in road
opponents’ average (.258), and 13th in road WHIP (1.37).
JUST GO WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield singled twice and scored a run as part of a 2-for-4 evening…Was his 14th multi-hit game and his 3rd in the last four days…Over his last 14 games, is hitting .400 (20-for-50) with two doubles, a homer, five RBI, and three walks (.434 OBP, .934 OPS)…Is 15 of 17 in stolen base attempts…The 15 steals are tied for 4th most in the AL while the 88.2% success rate is 6th best (min. 10 attempts).
INTERTAINMENT: Toronto is playing its 6th interleague series of the year…Has gone 10-5 vs. NL clubs so far…The .667 win% is tied for 3rd best among AL teams…Led the AL with 13 interleague wins last season, which was one off the franchise’s all-time single-season record (14 in 2021)…Since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, Toronto’s .673 win% in Interleague Play (37-18) is the best among all MLB clubs (2nd: TB – .672). The Blue Jays have hit 659 home runs all-time in Interleague Play, the most among all 30 teams (2nd: NYY – 628).
HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched an MLB-leading 538 hits this season (2nd: TEX – 529)…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.266), 4th in OBP (.332), 5th in OPS (.755), 5th in extra-base hits (177), and 6th in SLG (.422), . The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 76 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 59G).
TOUGH SCHEDDING:
The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 30 games over the course of 31 days…All opponents during this stretch are currently over .500…Are 10-11 through 21 contests.
VS. THE METS: All-Time: 14-22
2023: 1-0 Road: 3-14
Road: 1-0 Citi Field: 3-5
The Blue Jays last met up with the Mets in July of 2021, going 1-2 during the three-game series at Citi Field…Are now 14-22 all-time vs. New York…Went 0-9 at Shea Stadium and are 3-5 at Citi Field. Brandon Belt leads all current Blue Jays with 58 career games played against the Mets…Has kept a .724 OPS while batting .214 (42-for-196) with six doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 19 RBI, and 29 walks (.316 OBP). Daulton Varsho had hits in all six of his games vs. New York last season (7-for-23)…Is now a career 8-for-31 (.258) in 10 meetings, including five runs scored, three home runs, six RBI, and three walks for an .863 OPS. Chris Bassitt spent last season with the Mets and set
career highs in wins (15), starts (30), quality starts (19), innings pitched (181.2), and strikeouts (167).
STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 12th start of the season and his 8th on the road…Pitched 5.2 frames of shutout ball his last time out, on 5/28 at MIN (4H, 5BB, 5K)… Became the winningest pitcher in Target Field history, earning his 33rd career victory to break a tie with Kyle Gibson (32). Over his last 9 starts, has gone 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA (16 ER/55.2 IP), 50 strikeouts, and a 1.15 WHIP. Has made 151 starts since the beginning of 2018, tied for the 3rd most among MLB hurlers (Aaron Nola – 155, Gerrit Cole – 152).
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
tossed 7.0 frames of one-run ball on 5/23 at TB, scattering 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts…Was his 5th quality start of the year and his 3rd In the last 4 games. Took the loss on 5/18 vs. NYY, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk over 6.2 frames with 8 strikeouts. Took a no-decision on 5/13 vs. ATL, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 5.2 innings with 3 strikeouts. Improved to 3-3 on the year on 5/6 at PIT, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 6.1 frames with 7 strikeouts. Worked 7.0 shutout frames on 4/25 vs. CWS, scattering 4 singles and a walk with a season-high 9 strikeouts…Completed 7.0 innings in consecutive starts for the 13th time in his career (last: 3G from 6/4-
15/22)…Has allowed 3 runs over his last 3 starts, posting a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) with a pair of walks and 18 punchouts. Took the loss on 4/19 at HOU, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk over 7.0 frames with 3 strikeouts…Was his 1st quality start of the year. Picked up his 1st win of the year on 4/14 vs. TB, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball with 4 hits, no walks, and 6 strikeouts…Was removed from the game with a left knee contusion after being hit by a comebacker from Yandy Díaz.
NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets fell to the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, last night…New York continues a six-game homestand (3-1) against Philadelphia (3-0) and Toronto (1-0)…New York is off on Monday before the start of a six-game road trip to Atlanta (three games) and Pittsburgh (three games).
PUT THEM IN THE HALL!: Infielder Howard Johnson, LHP Al Leiter and broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame today in a pre-game ceremony prior to the 4:10 p.m. game vs. the Blue Jays at Citi Field…The four new additions will bring the total membership of the Mets Hall of Fame to 34…Jay Horwitz will also be honored with the Mets Hall of Fame Achievement Award for his contributions to the organization…A collection on the Mets Virtual Vault highlighting this year’s Mets Hall of Fame 2023 inductees and Mets Hall of Fame Achievement Award recipient is now live at metsheritage.com.
TAKE THE TRAIN TO THE GAME: With the expected large crowd at Citi Field this weekend, the Mets encourage fans to take the train to the game.
TURNED A CORNER: The Mets have received eight quality starts from their staff in the last 12 games…New York had eight quality starts through the first 46 games of the season…Over the last 12 games, Mets starters have posted a 2.90 ERA (23 ER/71.1 UP) with 18 walks and 68 strikeouts.
TYLOR THE CREATOR: Tylor Megill makes his 12th start of the season today…He is 5-3 with a 4.67 ERA (28 ER/54.0 IP) with 27 walks and 43 strikeouts…In five starts at Citi Field, Megill is 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA (10 ER/27.1 IP) with 12 walks and 18 strikeouts…Today will mark his second career start against the Blue Jays…On July 23, 2021 in New York, Megill held the Blue Jays to just two hits, walking one and striking out five in 6.0 innings of work…Overall in five career Interleague starts, Megill is 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA (6 ER/22.2 IP) with four walks and 23 strikeouts.
THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 8-5 against the American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 243- 232 record in Interleague play…The team’s .512 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.
INTERSTELLAR: Jeff McNeil owns a .332/.380/.454 slashline with 41 runs, 15 doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBI in 80 Interleague games, while Starling Marte has slashed .326/.388/.541 with 118 runs, 45 doubles, 11 triples, 28 home runs and 88 RBI in 182 Interleague games…They rank first and third in average among active players in Interleague play (min. 250 PA)…McNeil’s .333 clip is the highest all-time by a Met.
INTERLEAGUE PETE: Pete Alonso has hit 35 home runs in Interleague Play since the 2019 season…His 35 home runs against the American League is a franchise record, and the most among any player since 2019…Mike Piazza was the previous record holder with 28 Interleague home runs.
CANHA GET AN AMEN?: Over the last 15 games, Mark Canha is 13- 39 (.333) with seven runs, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, five walks with a .435 OBP, .538 SLG and a .973 OPS…He has safely reached base in each of his last 10 games with a plate appearance, batting .346 (9-26) with five runs, two home runs, six RBI, five walks with a 1.046 OPS in that span.
D-FENCE: The Mets have committed 19 errors in 58 games this year, the fewest errors in the majors…New York owns a .991 fielding percentage…Their .991 fielding percentage also leads the major leagues.
FIRST IS THE WORST: The Mets have been outscored 46-13 in the first inning this year.
BROOKS WAS HERE: Brooks Raley allowed four earned runs in one inning of work on April 4 in Milwaukee…Since then he has pitched to a 1.08 ERA (2 ER/16.2 IP) with six walks and 19 strikeouts…Since returning from the IL, the southpaw has not allowed a run in any of his last nine games, striking out 11 over those 7.2 innings.
IF YOU START ME OFF: Despite a starter for the Mets tossing 6.0 innings, the Mets lost yesterday, snapping a 16-0 streak to start the season when their starter goes at least 6.0 innings…The Mets are still 6-0 when the starter goes at least 7.0 innings.
IN THE CITI: The Mets have played 25 games at Citi Field, tied for the second-fewest home games in the majors this season…The team is 15-10 at Citi Field this year…Their .600 winning percentage at home is tied for fifth in the majors and is third in the National League.
EIGHT IS GREAT: The Mets are 27-0 when leading after eight innings this season…The last time the Mets lost a game when they were ahead after eight innings was on September 6, 2021 at Washington… The Mets were up 3-2 and lost 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth…Since then the Mets have won their last 122 games when ahead after eight, the longest active streak in MLB…It’s the longest streak in franchise history, surpassing the previous high of 117 consecutive games.
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso has hit 20 home runs this year, which leads the majors leagues…His 46 RBI are fourth in The Show and lead the National League…Alonso ranks 12th in franchise history with 426 career RBI…Next up is Kevin McReynolds (456) and Keith Hernandez (468)…Alonso has appeared in all 56 of the Mets games this year.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Francisco Alvarez has hit eight home runs this season…That puts him tied for the fourth-most by a rookie in the majors and third in the National League…Only two rookie catchers in Mets history have had more homers in a season…Travis d’Arnaud (13) holds the club mark for home runs by a rookie catcher in 2014…Jason Phillips hit 11 as a rookie in 2003…Alvarez’s nine career homers (one last year) before turning 22 years old are the most by a catcher since Iván Rodríguez had 21 from 1991-1993.
STEAL THIS BASE: The Mets lead the major leagues with an 87.2% stolen base success rate this season…Starling Marte has swiped 17 bags this year, tied for fourth in the majors and second in the National League…His 331 career stolen bases rank second among active players…Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 340 steals.
STARTING PITCHER – TYLOR MEGILL RHP #38
2023 STATS: 5-3, 4.67 ERA
MEGILL’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 54% 58% 50% 94.3 mph
Slider 21% 9% 32% 83.4 mph
Changeup 16% 20% 13% 88.5 mph
Curveball 9% 13% 5% 76.9 mph
Rockies on May 28…Threw 4.0 innings, allowed a season-high-tying six runs as well as a season-high-tying four earned runs on a season-high ten hits, with two walks and three strikeouts.
BIG DRIP VS THE JAYS: Today, Megill will make his second career start against the Blue Jays…Made his first career start against Toronto at Citi Field on July 23, 2021 and earned his first career major league win in the 3-0 Mets victory…Threw 6.0 innings scoreless innings and allowed two hits.
ACROSS LEAGUE LINES: In five career Interleague games (four starts), Megill is 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA (6 ER/22.2 IP)…Is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER/19.0 IP) in three career starts against AL East opponents…Has fanned 23 batters in Interleague matchups compared to just four walks.
NO PLACE LIKE NEW YORK: This season, Megill is 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA (10 ER/27.1 IP) in five home starts this season…In six road starts this season, Megill is 2-2 with a 6.08 ERA (18 ER/26.2 IP)…In 21 career home games (19 starts), Megill is 7-4 with a 4.22 ERA (46 ER/98.0 IP) and in 23 career road games (19 starts), Megill is 6-7 with a 5.23 ERA (54 ER/93.0 IP).
THE FRANCHISE HAS COMPANY: On April 7, the Mets home opener vs. Miami, Megill threw 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed three hits…Megill joined Tom Seaver (April 5, 1983) as the only other pitcher in franchise history to throw 6.0 shutout innings and allow three hits or fewer in a home opener…Courtesy of Elias.
COMBINED NO-NO: Megill threw the first 5.0 innings of MLB’s first no-hitter of the season on April 29 at Citi Field…It was the second no-hitter in team history (also, Johan Santana, June 1, 2012 vs. St. Louis)…The Mets combine no-hitter against the Phillies marked the 17th time a team has thrown a combined no-hitter and the 10th time in the Wild Card Era…Drew Smith (1.1 IP, BB, 4 K), Joely Rodríguez (1.0 IP, 2 BB), Seth Lugo (0.2 IP) and Edwin Díaz (1.0 IP, 3 K) finished the job with 4.0 hitless innings out of the bullpen.
