After having their bats silenced over their six-game road trip, the Toronto Blue Jays put their offensive woes behind them in the second inning on Thursday against the Athletics.
Toronto piled on eight runs in the frame — more than they scored through the entirety of their trip away from the Rogers Centre — getting a long blast from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a record-tying performance from Ernie Clement.
Clement picked up five RBIs in the inning, starting with his three-run homer off A’s starter Jacob Lopez and followed by a two-run double off reliever Anthony Maldonado.
The feat tied a Blue Jays franchise record, matching only the five runs driven in by Edwin Encarnacion in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros on July 13, 2013, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Alongside Clement and Guerrero, four other Blue Jays recorded hits in the inning, and Anthony Santander reached twice via the walk as Toronto piled on for its most impressive single-inning performance of the season.
As Toronto’s bats have run hot and cold this year, the team has scored eight or more runs in a single game just five times before Thursday’s contest.
The Blue Jays’ previous season-high for runs in an inning came last Wednesday in their 14-0 win over the San Diego Padres, when they pushed seven runs across the plate in the eighth inning.