VIDEO: Blue Jays' Donaldson clobbers moonshot off 5th deck

When R.A. Dickey unloaded his first pitch Friday evening in Toronto, a late-summer sunshine soaked the field at Rogers Centre, where the roof was pulled back for the club's series opener against the Detroit Tigers.

Then Josh Donaldson stepped to the plate. And, in an instant, the weather changed considerably.

Known affectionately as the Bringer of Rain – a moniker inspired by his Twitter handle – Donaldson watched from the on-deck circle as teammate Troy Tulowitzki crushed a solo shot off Matt Boyd in the third inning and, moments later, lived up to his nickname by nearly sending a ball into the clouds.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Donaldson's towering homer, his 35th of the season, smacked off the facade of the fifth deck and moved the 29-year-old into a second-place tie with Chris Davis on the league's home run leaderboard. As he circled the bases, figurative storm clouds brewing overhead, Donaldson was treated to a chorus of "M-V-P" chants from the sellout crowd.

His efforts, along with a solid outing from Dickey, helped the Blue Jays secure a 5-3 victory bookended by a perfect ninth inning from rookie closer Roberto Osuna, who struck out all three hitters he faced to record his 16th save.

“The ninth inning right there, when Osuna’s on the mound and the place was rocking, that’s the loudest I’ve heard it,” Donaldson told John Lott of the National Post. “It’s exciting to be a part of this team right now. It’s exciting for the fans to be a part of this.”