Bichette homers, Jays beat Royals 6-4 in Toronto return

TORONTO (AP) — Bo Bichette hit a two-run home run, Teoscar Hernandez added a solo shot and the Blue Jays made a triumphant return to Toronto after almost two years away from home, beating the Kansas City Royals 6-4 Friday night.

George Springer had three hits and an RBI in his first home game north of the border as the Blue Jays played at Rogers Centre for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win against Tampa Bay.

Displaced from Canada because of border restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Jays played the bulk of the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, the home of their Triple-A affiliate. They began the 2021 regular season playing at their spring training home in Dunedin, Florida, before moving back to Buffalo in June.

On July 16, the Canadian federal government granted the Blue Jays an exemption to the ongoing border restrictions, allowing the team to return home.

A vocal crowd of 13,446 sounded more like 50,000 while chanting “Let’s go Blue Jays” as the players ran in from center field before the game, passing through lines of flag-waving healthcare workers. Fans stood and cheered as closer Jordan Romano faced Jarrod Dyson for the final out, and roared in approval when third baseman Santiago Espinal ended the game with a running barehanded catch in short left.

The homecoming was made even sweeter after the Blue Jays made a splash at Friday’s trade deadline, acquiring All-Star right-hander José Berríos from Minnesota and reliever Joakim Soria from Arizona.

The Blue Jays began the day 4 1/2 games out of the second wild card spot, with two teams ahead of them.

“We believe we haven’t played our best baseball yet,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a pregame teleconference. “Hopefully those days are here upon us.”

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Bichette-homers-Jays-beat-Royals-6-4-in-Toronto-16353799.php