TORONTO — Bichette knows timing.
With the bases loaded and the score tied in the eighth inning of a game that was whirring by in a blur, Bo Bichette launched his first career grand slam, busting his slump and giving the Blue Jays a 6-2 win over the Red Sox on Monday night.
This was the moment that Bichette and the Blue Jays have been waiting on. The young star had homered just once this season, in the second game of the year, and had racked up nine strikeouts over his past five games coming into Monday. It was always a matter of when, though, not if for a hitter with Bichette’s talent, and Charlie Montoyo’s patience keeping him in the two-hole was rewarded.
Bichette took the 91.5-mph sinker from Tyler Danish and launched it to the opposite field, which is always the sign Montoyo looks for to show him that his shortstop is turning the corner. He got enough of this one, though, sending it 344 feet into the visitors’ bullpen.
It matters how the Blue Jays got to this point, too. José Berríos was sensational, giving Toronto seven innings of two-run ball with only brief turbulence at the beginning and end. George Springer also submitted his entry for catch of the year, extending to make a diving grab near the warning track in the top of the fifth, showing every ounce of his incredible athleticism.