Blue Jays Eyeing an AL East Crown for First Time in 10 Years

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the Toronto Blue Jays finished first in the AL East.

They have had plenty of talent since then, but that is also the challenge of playing in their division with the powerhouse New York Yankees, the usually-successful Boston Red Sox, the forward-thinking Tampa Bay Rays and the emerging Baltimore Orioles.

Since their last division title in 2015, the Blue Jays are the only team that hasn't won it.

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Their goal is to change that this season.

"There's a lot of talk about the Wild Card, and it's great that there's that, but the goal every year is to try to win the division," manager John Schneider said, per MLB.com.

For a while, it didn't look like that was a realistic objective.

Toronto was one of the most hot and cold teams in Major League Baseball, looking dominant at times before turning around and looking inept at others.

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But they have found their groove as of late.

Since the start of the month, the Blue Jays are 11-7, a record that improves even further to 15-7 when taking into account the four-game winning streak they had before June began.

Because of that, they are now just three back from the Yankees.

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Toronto doesn't have an easy path before they face off against New York in a four-game set starting on June 30. After they complete their weekend series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, they hit the road and play the Cleveland Guardians and Red Sox.

This is a huge stretch for the Blue Jays if they are going to accomplish their goal.

While they would certainly take a Wild Card spot to play October baseball, they have their sights set on a much more than that.

For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.