Inside The Blue Jays

Revisiting 8 Epic Moments From the Blue Jays' 2021 Season

From walk-off homers to nasty pitching performances, here are some of the best moments from the 2021 Blue Jays season.

Ethan Diamandas

© Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

As we creep towards a brand-new year, it’s worth taking some time to revisit one of the more memorable seasons in Blue Jays history.

There were breakout performances, dramatic walk-off finishes, surprising displays of pitching excellence, and a near-miss playoff run that kept fans locked on Toronto until the last pitch of the season.

For the sake of keeping things concise, this breakdown will only address in-game moments from 2021. For a look at some off-the-field moments, including best quotes of the year, check out this story.

Cue the nostalgia. Here are eight epic moments from this past Blue Jays season.

The one where Jr. goes yard thrice – April 27

The Blue Jays’ time in Dunedin this season was quite forgettable (10-11 record), but TD Ballpark still served as a venue for some exciting moments, such as Toronto’s 9-5 win over the Nationals in April.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added to his list of accomplishments by taking future hall-of-famer Max Scherzer deep for a grand slam in the third inning.

Of course, Guerrero Jr. would hit one more off Scherzer, then victimize Washington’s bullpen for another longball later in the game. The 22-year-old’s incredible display of power appropriately set the bar very high for what wound up being a near-MVP season.

The one where Vlad makes All-Star history - July 13

Though not technically part of the Blue Jays’ 162-game season, Guerrero Jr.’s monstrous bomb during the All-Star Game at Coors Field showed viewers around the world just how special his talents really are.

His no-doubt blast traveled a career-long 468 feet, prompting a slow jog around the bases and some encouragement from fellow young stud Fernando Tatis Jr.

Guerrero Jr. would be named the All-Star Game’s MVP, becoming the youngest player to win the award and the first Blue Jay to do so. 

The one where they come home - July 30

This day alone makes 2021 one of the most special seasons in franchise history.

After 670 days away from Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays returned in the most dramatic of fashions. Smoke machines and a lineup of flag-bearers welcomed the team onto the infield, where massive block letters spelling ‘H-O-M-E’ sat behind the mound.

It was an emotional moment for the city and for Blue Jays players, and the game didn’t disappoint. Teoscar Hernández and Bo Bichette homered before Santiago Espinal’s barehanded over-the-shoulder catch finished off the 6-4 victory.

All the fanfare mixed with Toronto’s thrilling victory makes this game an easy choice for a top moment in 2021.

The one with the Springer dinger - August 8

Just over a week removed from their grand return to Toronto, George Springer put on a show for the Toronto faithful in one of many topsy-turvy late-season Blue Jays wins.

With two men on and the Jays trailing by two runs in the eighth, Springer tagged Red Sox closer Matt Barnes for a devastating three-run blast. Springer flipped his bat and hopped his way out of the box as the 9-8 win capped off Toronto's lone regular-season series win over Boston.

The one with the nasty slider - August 25

There are quite a few gems from Robbie Ray’s Cy Young season in Toronto, but this seventh-inning performance in a 3-1 win against the White Sox was possibly his best.

Ray got the White Sox to whiff on 61% of his sliders as he rolled through seven innings of one-run ball. Ray’s 14 strikeouts were a single-game franchise record for a left-handed pitcher, and his last punchout of Chicago’s Tim Anderson to strand two baserunners—and subsequent fiery celebration—made this outing extra memorable.

The one where the baseball gods wore blue - September 3

Blue Jays fans will remember this game well. Toronto trailed late until Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ripped a towering grand slam to left-center, capping off a six-run eighth inning and tying the game.

But when Jordan Romano allowed a two-run blast in the top of the ninth, it looked like the Jays were toast. Then the first two Toronto runners reached in the top half and Marcus Semien delivered in one of the most magical moments of the season.

His three-run, walk-off blast gave the Blue Jays an improbable 11-10 comeback victory and fueled Toronto with the momentum it needed to snap off six wins in a row afterwards.

The one where they mercy-killed Baltimore – September 11, Game 2

This was more of a collective moment, but it stands as one of the most shocking games of the season.

Baltimore led by one as soft-throwing Orioles lefty Keegan Akin no-hit the Blue Jays through six full innings before the mayhem started with a Guerrero Jr. single. After that?

- Home run

- Single

- Home run

- Single

- Single

- Sac fly

- Single

- Home run

- Single

- Single

- Home run

It’d go on like that until Toronto secured a laughable 11-2 win, prompting manager Charlie Montoyo to quote broadcaster Jack Buck, saying “I don’t believe what I just saw.”

The one where Bo plays hero - September 29

In a late September game with a playoff spot a few games away, the Blue Jays struck first by scoring four runs in the first three innings off Yankees starter Gerrit Cole. 

After New York answered back and the game stayed tied into the eighth inning, Bichette delivered one of the most clutch home runs of the season in the 6-5 victory.

The deep liner to right-center field—Bichette’s second homer of the game—got the 23-year-old as fired up as we’d seen him all season. To make things even better, Bichette told reporters post-game that he actually walked to the plate with the intention of going deep in that at-bat.

"I was trying to hit a home run there, actually," he said, nonchalantly. "Just lucky I got it."

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Ethan Diamandas
ETHAN DIAMANDAS

Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas

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