Toronto Blue Jays Surge in June to One of American League's Best Records
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The month of June was great for the Toronto Blue Jays, who finished with a 16-10 record that was fourth-best overall and third-best in the American League.
Only four teams had more than 15 wins in the month, led by the 19-7 Houston Astros. The only National League team on the list was the Los Angeles Dodgers at 18-8, while Toronto's division rival, the Tampa Bay Rays, finished up 17-10.
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After a slow start to the season there was major concern the Blue Jays might not even have a chance at a postseason run. But now Toronto is in striking distance of the AL East-leading New York Yankees, regardless of how their four-game series with the Yankees ends on Thursday.
June was Toronto's best full month on the season. The Blue Jays started off 11-14 in April and then improved to 15-12 in May. As Toronto has gathered momentum, the Blue Jays have become contenders for the division crown.
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In June, the Jays were in the top 10 in multiple hitting categories. They were tied for fourth in total hits and RBI. Toronto was tied in total hits with the Miami Marlins (233) and with the Baltimore Orioles in RBI with 128. Toronto was also fifth in on-base percentage at .328.
The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff, while undermanned for most of the month, held things together.
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There were only four teams in the Majors that had an ERA over 4.50 in June — the Blue Jays, the Washington Nationals, the Colorado Rockies, and the Minnesota Twins.
Opponents batted .243 against Toronto and the staff had 217 strikeouts.
The matchups between the Blue Jays and the Yankees aren't done. The two teams wil meet again the first weekend after the All-Star break. Those games should have as much to do with the division race as the ones this week.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.