Blue Jays Stat of the Day: May 2021

MLB.com is keeping track of a Stat of the Day for the Blue Jays this season, highlighting a unique, interesting or fun nugget from each game.

• Blue Jays Stat of the Day, April 2021

May 30 Game 2: Indians 6, Blue Jays 5 -- Five 7-inning games
This has been a strange stretch of baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays, who just finished up their Dunedin residency and are about to call Buffalo home. On Thursday, the Blue Jays played a doubleheader against the Yankees, and their opener against Cleveland on Friday was called in the top of the seventh due to weather. Add in Sunday's doubleheader to finish up the Cleveland series and the Blue Jays have played five consecutive games of less than nine innings. They're the first team in MLB history to do this.

May 28: Blue Jays 11, Indians 2 (7) -- Ryu a master of hitting edges of zone
Entering play, Hyun Jin Ryu's 47.2 percent "edge rate" ranked him third in Major League Baseball among pitchers who have thrown 500 or more pitches in 2021 (140 players). This measures what the name suggests -- pitches thrown on the very edges of the zone, and that's where Ryu is a master. With a fastball that he can manipulate on the inside and outside edges and a changeup that lives on the bottom edge of the zone, Ryu gets by without elite velocity by hitting his spots as well as anyone in baseball. Ryu walked two batters for the first time this season, but he is limiting walks as well as he has in his entire career.

May 27: Blue Jays 2, Yankees 0 (Game 1); Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3 (Game 2) -- Manoah's sterling debut in the Bronx
Alek Manoah did not shy away from a big moment on a big stage, becoming the fourth visiting pitcher to debut at Yankee Stadium (old or new) and toss at least six scoreless innings in the process. The first three to do so were Cleveland's Luis Tiant (July 19, 1964), Boston's Billy Rohr (April 14, 1967) and Boston's Vaughn Eshelman (May 2, 1995).

May 25: Blue Jays 6, Yankees 2 -- Gurriel a multihit machine
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. can be streaky. When he's cold, you notice it, but when he's hot, he can be a dominant bat in the middle of the Blue Jays' lineup. That's exactly what he's doing now with multiple hits in seven of his last nine games, including 17 hits total. Gurriel has also homered in each of his last two games, including in Tuesday's opener vs. the Yankees, and says he's been waiting all year to feel exactly how he does at the plate right now. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a tear and the lineup stacked with talent, Gurriel represents the tipping point that can make this group truly dangerous.

May 24: Rays 14, Blue Jays 8 (11 innings) -- Vlad Jr. ties Acuña with 15th homer
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched two more home runs in Monday's loss, giving him 15 for the season, tied with Ronald Acuña Jr. for the MLB lead. The 22-year-old star also leads the Majors by reaching base 89 times this season, tying John Olerud (1993) for the second-highest total through 46 games in Blue Jays history. Guerrero has been one of baseball's hottest hitters all season long, and is showing no signs of a cold streak any time soon.

May 23: Rays 6, Blue Jays 4 -- Ryu going deeper into games
Hyun Jin Ryu has been fantastic for the Blue Jays this season, posting a 2.53 ERA with control as sharp as it has ever been. The ace has lived around the threshold of 90-95 pitches in '20 and '21, but he is finally starting to push deeper into games. His 107-pitch performance gave him his first back-to-back starts with at least 100 pitches since July of 2019 with the Dodgers. It was actually Ryu who talked himself into a few extra batters in the seventh inning, so not only is the lefty pitching well, he's feeling good physically.

May 22: Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 -- Vlad Jr. continues to get on
Saturday's loss to the Rays was a rare hitless game for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but of course, he walked twice and scored Toronto's only run of the game. He's now reached base 86 times this season, the most in the Majors, and he's got some good company in the organization's all-time ranks, too. Reaching base 86 times in 44 games ties him for third all-time in Blue Jays history. It was José Bautista, who last reached 86 times in 44 games back in 2014, when he posted an incredible .403 on-base percentage and went on to win a Silver Slugger Award.

May 21: Rays 9, Blue Jays 7 (12) -- Near-cycle keeps Semien rolling
Marcus Semien fell a single shy of the cycle, but he kept up his torrid offensive pace in May by recording a double, a triple and a home run. This month, the second baseman leads the Majors in extra-base hits (16), and he's tied for the Major League lead in hits (30) with Pittsburgh's Adam Frazier.

May 20: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 7 -- Bichette's production
Bo Bichette entered play tied with Chris Taylor of the Dodgers for the MLB lead in runs with 35, and his 36th of the season put him in sole possession of the lead. Bichette had a big night in the loss, going 3-for-4 with a pair of hard-hit doubles. Bichette will always be a high run producer, hitting toward the top of a powerful lineup with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. typically coming to the plate right behind him. He helps himself on the bases, though, with his aggressive running. Bichette is also tied for 10th in baseball with seven stolen bases this season and he's yet to be thrown out.

May 19: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 3 -- Let's look back at Ryu's mastery
Hyun Jin Ryu has settled right back into his groove recently, and he threw seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox. That lowered Ryu's ERA to 2.51, and while he has always been known as a pitcher with great control, he's taking it to a new level in 2021. Ryu has walked one or zero batters in all eight of his starts, the most such starts in Major League Baseball this season. With just five total walks over 46 2/3 innings, Ryu has 1.0 BB/9, setting him up to take a run at his career best of 1.2 BB/9 in 2019, when he finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting.

May 18: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 0 -- Vladdy an on-base machine
With two singles and a double in Dunedin, Fla., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has now reached base 77 times this season, the most in Major League Baseball. Guerrero did so loudly, with exit velocities of 114.4 mph and 113.9 mph on two of his hits, which were the two hardest-hit balls in the game. The young star has worked his walks, too, with 27 in his first 40 games, and now owns a .329 average with a 1.060 OPS.

May 16: Blue Jays 10, Phillies 8 -- Vlad Jr. homers in 3 straight
A crucial insurance run for the Blue Jays on Sunday also carried some weight with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as his eighth-inning solo shot marked his third consecutive game with a home run -- something he hadn't done before in his career. Guerrero Jr. has hit a lot of balls well to the opposite field, but this time he yanked a changeup to left, clearing the seats with ease.

May 15: Blue Jays 4, Phillies 0 -- Interleague Play dominance
Interleague Play has been kind to the Blue Jays this year, including a pair of three-game sweeps over Atlanta. The win over the Phillies moved the Blue Jays to 8-2 in Interleague Play this season, and they have a good history in Interleague games, too. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s home run in the first inning was the 603rd hit by a Blue Jays batter all-time in Interleague Play, the most of any MLB team. The White Sox, with 563, trail in second.

May 14: Phillies 5, Blue Jays 1 -- Defense continues to shine
In 2020, defense was an adventure for the Blue Jays. At times, it could be written off as having young players who were still developing, but it often reached a point that it was a clear weakness. The Blue Jays made run prevention a top priority this offseason, and recently, their team defense has been much better. Friday marked the club's seventh consecutive game without an error, extending its season high, and its .995 fielding percentage since April 25 was the best in MLB entering play on Friday. Part of this comes from new players, like Marcus Semien at second base, but also from some internal development. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a great example at first base, as he's looked significantly more comfortable this season and has saved his infielders from multiple errors with his good hands.

May 13: Blue Jays 8, Braves 4 -- Semien streaks on
Marcus Semien has been a rock lately, and with two hits Thursday, he extended his on-base streak to 20 games. Entering play Thursday, only the Yankees' Gio Urshela (20) and the Rangers' Nate Lowe (24) had streaks as long as Semien's. Now hitting .271 with an .806 OPS, Semien has also chipped in some stolen bases and been steady defensively, but his bat is more important than ever given the absence of George Springer, who's on the IL again with a right quad strain. Getting on base is the name of the game in the leadoff spot, which Semien knows well, and he's doing it again in May.

May 12: Blue Jays 4, Braves 1 -- Road warriors
The Blue Jays are living life on the road in many ways this season, opening in Dunedin, Fla., at their Spring Training home of TD Ballpark before moving to Buffalo's Sahlen Field on June 1. On top of that, the Blue Jays have already played 24 road games, the most in Major League Baseball. They've managed a 12-12 record on the road so far while managing multiple injuries to their pitching staff and lineup, but they'll be looking forward to getting back to Dunedin following this series in Atlanta. Later this week, the Blue Jays will play 10 straight games at TD Ballpark against the Phillies, Red Sox and Rays.

May 11: Blue Jays 5, Braves 3 -- Ray's 10 K's break a streak
Robbie Ray has been racking up the strikeouts recently for the Blue Jays, the result of his fastball velocity reaching heights he hasn't touched since 2017 and his curveball having one of the highest whiff rates in baseball. Ray struck out 10 Atlanta hitters, which was the first time he has cracked double digits since joining the Blue Jays at the 2020 Trade Deadline and the first time that any Blue Jays pitchers has reached double digits since Aaron Sanchez struck out 10 Rays batters on July 28, 2019. The club record for strikeouts in a single game still belongs to Roger Clemens with 18 back in 1998.

May 9: Astros 7, Blue Jays 4 -- Search for consistency continues
Due to injuries and just plain old struggles, the Blue Jays have already had to use 12 starters this season, which is the most of any team in the Majors (the Rays are second with 11). Nate Pearson was No. 12 on Sunday, succeeding Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Steven Matz, T.J. Zeuch, Tanner Roark, Ross Stripling, Tommy Milone, Anthony Kay, Trent Thornton, Travis Bergen and David Phelps. Given the lack of consistency, it may not be surprising that Toronto's starters rank last in the Majors in innings pitched (144.0).

May 8: Blue Jays 8, Astros 4 -- 3 games, 3 homers for Jansen
Danny Jansen's 0-for-35 slump ended just days ago, but the catcher is trying to put it in the distant past by continuing to hit home runs. On Saturday, Jansen homered in a third consecutive game, becoming just the third Blue Jays catcher to do so on multiple occasions (joining Russell Martin and Ernie Whitt). For a cherry on top, Jansen's 448-foot homer was the longest of his career -- by 16 feet!

May 7: Astros 10, Blue Jays 4 -- Stripling's 'dad strength'
Blue Jays starter Ross Stripling was reaching into the top end of his velocity vs. the Astros, at one point peaking at 95.6 mph. That's the fourth-fastest pitch he's thrown in his career, behind a trio from 2017. Stripling said he's been doing some new strength training, and over the offseason he added a long-toss program with the intent of adding some velocity that he could sustain deeper into games. Stripling also suggested this might be his newfound "dad strength," as he and his wife welcomed their first child just prior to Spring Training.

May 6: Blue Jays 10, Athletics 4 -- Cutter success
Tyler Chatwood and Trent Thornton have both been key pieces of the Blue Jays' bullpen in 2021: Chatwood as a high-leverage arm and Thornton as a multi-inning reliever who can pitch in a variety of roles. Both have leaned on their great cutters this season. And it's been working.

Chatwood ranks seventh among qualified pitchers (10 PA or more throwing a cutter) with a .118 opponent average against the pitch, while Thornton is close behind (13th) with a .143 opponent average. The Blue Jays' bullpen has been one of the best in baseball and these right-handers are two reasons why.

May 5: Blue Jays 9, A's 4 -- Blue Jays' fastest runners
If you were asked for the Blue Jays' fastest runner through the first five weeks of the season, would you guess Cavan Biggio? The 26-year-old certainly isn't thought of as a burner, but his average sprint speed of 28.3 feet per second is tied with Marcus Semien for the best on the roster. A benchmark of 30 feet per second is considered "elite" speed, so while the Blue Jays don't quite reach that level, their athleticism across the board has clearly improved over the past few seasons. Biggio is one of the smartest baserunners in the organization, too, which has helped him open his Major League career a perfect 20-for-20 on stolen base attempts.

May 4: A's 4, Blue Jays 1 -- Quiet nights rare for Vlad Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. failed to reach base for just the second time this season on Tuesday night in Oakland. It's becoming the ultimate rarity for one of the game's best all-around hitters through the first five weeks of the season, as the 22-year-old still leads the league by having reached base 57 times through his first 28 games, ahead of even Mike Trout. Guerrero is hitting everything, but his 22 walks are the secret power behind his fantastic start at the plate. Guerrero's power is special, but coming up through the Minor Leagues as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Guerrero walked more than he struck out, just like he's doing now.

May 3: A's 5, Blue Jays 4 -- Vlad Jr. hitting lasers
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting everything hard this season. In the loss, Guerrero lasered hits with exit velocities of 110.2 mph (a third-inning single) and 110.4 mph (an eighth-inning double), per Statcast, giving him 16 balls hit harder than 110 mph this season. That ranks second in the Majors behind only the Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, who has 21. Guerrero has also walked 22 times in 27 games as he rediscovers the all-around offensive form that made him the former No. 1 prospect in baseball.

May 2: Blue Jays 7, Braves 2 -- Jansen snaps hitless streak
The month of April was not kind to Danny Jansen, who hit just .044. It was beginning to look like Alejandro Kirk would eat into Jansen's playing time, before Kirk went down with an injury Saturday. But Jansen finally broke his 0-for-35 streak with an RBI single against Atlanta. That saved Jansen from making the wrong kind of history, as 0-for-35 tied him with Ed Sprague Jr. (1994) for the longest hitless streak in Blue Jays history.

May 1: Blue Jays 6, Braves 5 (10 innings) -- Springer's 470-foot HR
George Springer officially arrived in the walk-off win over Atlanta, belting two home runs. His second was the highlight of the night, though -- a no-doubter that soared 470 feet over the left-field wall at TD Ballpark and out of the stadium altogether. It was Springer's fourth-longest home run since Statcast began to measure distances in 2015, and also the fourth-longest home run by any Blue Jays hitter in that same timeframe. Only Randal Grichuk (471), Edwin Encarnación (471) and Justin Smoak (474) have gone deeper, but with Springer just three games into his six-year, $150 million deal, he's got plenty of time to climb to the top of that list.