Words by Juliana Cimino
The Boston Red Sox are set to face the Toronto Blue Jays in an upcoming homestand starting on Tuesday, April 19. The remaining games of the series fall on Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21. The games on the 19th and 20th are a 7:10PM start, while the game on the 21st is a 1:35PM start.
Last Time We Met
With this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season just getting underway, the last time the two teams faced each other was in the 2021 season. They versed each other a total of 19 times last year, 10 at Fenway Park in Boston and the other nine at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Sox won nine of the 19 contests against the Blue Jays last year, meaning the Jays secured wins in the other 10 games.
Blue Jays Season So Far
To date, the Blue Jays have played a total of 10 games. They have six wins and four losses on the year. Toronto currently sits in first in the American League East division. Both teams have faced off against division rival the New York Yankees this season. Toronto split a four-game series against the Yankees, and Boston won one of their three games.
Red Sox Season So Far
The Red Sox have won five of their 10 contests this season. At 5-5, they trail the Blue Jays by one game.
Blue Jays Players to Look out For
Toronto carries an impressive offense from one through nine in the lineup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading the Blue Jays at the plate. He has already hit five home runs to start the season.
Teoscar Hernández has been outstanding up at bat this season. He will unfortunately miss the series since he is on the 10-day Injured List (IL) with a left oblique strain. He is a key part of Toronto’s offense and will be a significant omission from their lineup.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. brings a big bat for the Blue Jays. Last season, after getting off to a pretty rough start at the plate, Gurriel finished the season with 25 doubles and 21 home runs. He knocked in a total of 84 runs.
Closer Jordan Romano has picked up the save in all six of the Blue Jays’ wins, while not allowing an earned run.
Red Sox Players to Look out For
The Sox have a strong offensive lineup lead by third baseman Rafael Devers, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and outfielder Alex Verdugo. Devers is batting .349 on the season, with two home runs and seven runs batted in (RBIs). Bogaerts had three hits on four at-bats in the Sunday, April 17th afternoon contest against the Minnesota Twins. Verdugo has gotten off to a great start, batting .333 with eight RBIs and three home runs so far this season.
Newcomer Trevor Story is playing second base and has been a great addition to the Red Sox 2022 squad.
On Deck
The next series between the Red Sox and Blue Jays is four days straight in Toronto from April 26th through 28th. If both teams can remain healthy, they are expected to be in the playoff hunt.
The Hub 