What We Learned From the Latest Blue Jays-Red Sox Dust-Up

Tempers flared in the third inning of Wednesday's game, well before the Blue Jays' eventual extra-innings loss.

Things got testy between the Blue Jays and Red Sox in the third inning of Wednesday’s 6-5 Toronto loss.

After the Sox nicked Alejandro Kirk on the elbow with a fastball (they’d been pitching him up-and-in all series), Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo ran onto the field to protest to the umpires.

Boston starter Nick Pivetta, presumably frustrated by Montoyo’s intervention, waved his glove at the Jays’ dugout, indicating that he hadn’t intentionally thrown at Kirk and expletively suggested the Blue Jays should shut up.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn’t appreciate Pivetta’s words of wisdom, and he marched towards the mound while Rafael Devers tried his best to calm anything before it started. At that point, the momentum couldn’t be stopped. Blue Jays players poured over the fence of the dugout—largely to break things up—and each bullpen emptied, with newly signed reliever Sergio Romo leading the charge from Toronto’s end.

As far as scrums go, it was relatively uneventful—certainly no Mariners-Angels bruhaha from earlier this week. But it did make a few things clear. Firstly, it showed just how important a figure Kirk has become for this 2022 Jays squad. The 23-year-old’s .932 OPS and bright red Savant page prove he’s having a fantastic season at the dish, but the energy around him tells a better story.

The masses of fans who scream when he’s announced as a hitter speak to Kirk’s rocketing stardom as a sports icon in Toronto. Given his build and demeanor, Kirk is perhaps the Blue Jays’ most relatable player; he’s an everyman’s guy, and he’s quite precious to his Toronto clubhouse, which is why Guerrero so boldly stood up for him. Within a couple months, Kirk has turned into a crown jewel in the Jays’ organization, and he’ll get national acclaim once he starts the All-Star game next month for the American League (this part isn’t guaranteed, but it’s very likely).

The third-inning dust-up also revealed some under-the-surface animosity between the Red Sox and Blue Jays. The tension between these squads dates back to August 6 of last season—when Hansel Robles beaned Randal Grichuk with a heater—but has carried into 2022 as each team jockeys for wild-card supremacy.

The game unraveled with bursts of extra energy after the benches cleared. George Springer ripped a solo home run to push Toronto ahead in the fifth, and the Rogers Centre crowd loved it. But the momentum pivoted when Alex Verdugo clapped back with a lead-changing, no-doubt, two-run homer off Alek Manoah in the sixth.

Verdugo admired his deep blast, and as he hopped around third base, he took a moment to stare down the Blue Jays dugout. The Red Sox seemed to absorb the game’s remaining energy after that, until the vibes ping-ponged back to Toronto.

Lourdes Gurriel roasted a double to start the eighth inning, and then Raimel Tapia knocked him in with a double of his own to tie it up. The Blue Jays ultimately coughed everything up in the 10th inning, when David Phelps walked the world and hitter a batter. Tim Mayza then allowed a two-run double to Verdugo, which iced the game and prevented Toronto from securing its third sweep of the year, despite some bottom-of-the-10th heroics to make it close. 

Because the division is so competitive, it's easy to peg any Blue Jays matchup with an AL East opponent as a rivalry series, but the Sox and Jays seem the most evenly matched as we approach the season’s halfway point. If the playoffs started today, Toronto would play Boston in a best-of-three series.

First, that set-up would pose troublesome for some key Red Sox pitchers who’ve elected not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It would also run a rematch of Wednesday’s fiery game, with the stakes even higher—and that’s a show every baseball fan would most certainly love to see.