Martin says juggernaut Blue Jays feel like championship team
Another sweep, four homers, and nine more runs. Russell Martin and the surging Toronto Blue Jays are starting to buy into their own hype.
Josh Donaldson stayed hot, Edwin Encarnacion made history, and the Blue Jays won their 21st game of August with yet another blowout victory - a 9-2 rout to sweep the Detroit Tigers before a sellout crowd at Rogers Centre on Sunday.
"If this isn't the feel of a championship team," Martin told reporters, "I don't know what is."
Martin was one of four Blue Jays to hit homers Sunday to increase the club's total to 45 for the month and 184 on the season - both are tops in the majors. Toronto has hit three long balls or more in six of its last 11 games.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Also connecting for deep drives were Donaldson and the red-hot Encarnacion, who slugged his fourth homer in two days to break the franchise record for RBIs (35) in a single month. Outfielder Kevin Pillar also homered for the Blue Jays, who maintained their lead in the American League East by improving to 74-56 on the year.
Other notable stats from Toronto's dominant surge include:
- Encarnacion's blast gave the Blue Jays three players with 30 home runs this season. They're the first team to accomplish that since the Los Angeles Angels in 2012.
- Encarnacion also became the second player in franchise history with at least 30 home runs in four straight seasons.
- The Blue Jays improved to 21-5 in August, matching the team record for wins in a month. Toronto went 21-9 in May 2014.
- Sunday marked the ninth time this month the Blue Jays have scored at least nine runs. Six of those games have occurred over Toronto's last nine contests.
- With files from The Associated Press