Randal Grichuk of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on April 3, 2019.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
Nothing like a little US$52-million incentive to help put you right in the swing of things.
On Tuesday night, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk inked a five-year contract extension with the Toronto Blue Jays for just that amount.
And as if to show his appreciation to general manager Ross Atkins for agreeing to the new pact, Grichuk went out on Wednesday as if to show he will be worth every cent of the long-term commitment.
Grichuk cranked out two home runs along with a double and scored three times as the Toronto Blue Jays finally solved the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 in a mostly sleepy affair with a mid-afternoon start time at Rogers Centre.
Slightly more than 11,400 fans were on hand for the contest.
“I think we’re going to sign a couple of more guys to $52-million, to get them going,” beaming Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said after it was all said in done. “I’ll talk to Ross about it.”
Grichuk said it was nice to contribute right away with talk of his new contract hogging much of the limelight over the past 24 hours.
“Any time a team commits to you like that, you want to go out there and perform well for the fans and for the team, kind of reassure them they made a good deal,” he said.
The game had added pressure for Grichuk, who was playing in centre field, a spot that quite likely he will come to own now after fan-favourite Kevin Pillar was shipped off to the San Francisco Giants in a trade on Tuesday.
Grichuk said when Baltimore’s Trey Mancini lifted a three-run home run to centre in the top of the ninth inning to make for an uneasy finish for the Blue Jays, it was almost as if the ghost of Pillar was haunting him.
“I had one fan on Mancini’s home run saying, ‘Pillar would have caught that,’” Grichuk said. “That’s definitely nice of him.
“It’s one of those things that I know I can play centre, just go out there and play. Don’t think of what the fans are going to think if I’m not going to get to a ball or they thought Pillar would have got to a ball or something like that. I just can’t let that creep in.”
Matt Shoemaker was making his second start with the Blue Jays after joining the team in the off-season as a free agent and he continues to be a revelation in the starting rotation, improving to 2-0 on the year.
The 32-year-old has yet to surrender a run, on Wednesday handcuffing the Orioles on just two hits over seven innings pitched while striking out eight.
Last week against Detroit, he also only allowed two hits over seven innings along with seven strikeouts in a 6-0 Toronto triumph.
“I just want to fill up the zone with quality strikes, I want to be aggressive,” Shoemaker said. “I want to put away hitters and I want to pitch deep into games. I think when you can do that your success can be great.”
With the win, Toronto managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Orioles, who took the first two games of the series.
The retooling Blue Jays completed their first home stand with a 3-4 record and will now head out for their first road trip of the season that will take them through Cleveland for four games and then into Boston for two.
Grichuk said he has liked so far what the Blue Jays have shown.
“Obviously I think we started out a little slow offensively,” he said. “The pitching’s been phenomenal. I’m excited to see that over a full season. If they can do that, or even close to that, I think we’re going to be in good shape.”
Grichuk doubled and scored in the first inning and homered for the first time in the game in the third to provide Toronto with a 2-0 lead.
Toronto tagged on three more in the eighth for a 5-0 lead on Grichuk’s second solo shot and a two-run scoring double by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who totalled his first two hits of the season in the game.
With the outcome now resting in the hands of the Toronto bullpen, Daniel Hudson was on the mound to start the top of the ninth for Toronto.
It was Hudson who surrendered a solo home run shot in the 10th inning to the Tigers in their victory over Toronto in last week’s home opener and things did not go well again this time.
Hudson was burned for three hits – the third a three-run home run by Mancini that suddenly had cut Toronto’s once comfortable lead down to an uneasy two runs.
Montoyo then summoned closer Ken Giles into the game and he struck out both Renato Nunez and Rio Ruiz to end the sudden drama.