Michael Saunders Ties Canadian Record With Three Home RunsToronto Blue Jays Michael Saunders Ties Canadian Record

The Toronto Blue Jays need someone to step up now that Jose Bautista is on the disabled list. Michael Saunders did his part yesterday, tying a Canadian record for home runs in a game.

The Toronto Blue Jays are back. After struggling much of the first half to properly defend their first AL East crown in over twenty years, the Jays are now 11-5 in the month of June and have scored 10+ runs in five of their last seven. While much of that has to do with Josh Donaldson‘s continued excellence as the reigning MVP, a big part of the offense all season has been Canada’s own son, Michael Saunders.

The left fielder is finally healthy after what ended up as a lost season in 2015. In Spring Training, Saunders tripped over an exposed sprinkler head on a back practice field in the Jays’ Dunedin complex, and required a full removal of his knee’s meniscus. For most people, a removal – instead of a repair – will result in a quick recovery, but increased risk of arthritis later in life. For a professional athlete, it takes a while to get used to the new range of motion and capabilities of the knee.

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After trying to come back just six weeks after surgery, Saunders would last just nine games before being shutdown for the rest of the season. His knee just wasn’t right, and he notched only six singles in those nine games, his lower half sapped of the power he once had.

In the offseason, he was the target of much trade speculation, even being reportedly dealt to the Reds at one point for Jay Bruce before another player’s physical nixed the deal. Saunders seems to have taken these rumors and rumblings as some sort of a slight against him, as he’s been absolutely crushing the ball so far this year.

On Friday night, with the Blue Jays having just placed their superstar right fielder Jose Bautista on the disabled list with a hyper-extended big toe, Saunders needed to keep his strong season going if the offense was to continue the way they had been. What he did, has only been seen a handful of times before in Blue Jay – and Canadian – history.

Saunders hit three home runs (and was robbed of a fourth) and drove in eight, tying Canadian records in both categories. Only Joey Votto, Larry Walker and Justin Morneau have hit three home runs in a game, while Walker, Jason Bay and George Selkirk have driven in eight. Saunders actually had a great chance to break the RBI record, coming up with the bases loaded and just one out in the eighth inning. He grounded into a double play that was just barely turned to end the inning.

With a .610 slugging percentage, Saunders trails only David Ortiz in the AL.

With the outstanding output, not only has Saunders ensured a place in Canadian baseball history, but has thrown his hat in the ring to be included in this season’s all-star game. He now is hitting .314/.389/.610 on the season, amazingly trailing only David Ortiz in slugging percentage and wRC+ in the American League. He ranks 17th in WAR among position players, and is sixth in OBP.

For a player who was once considered a part-time player, Saunders is proving that he can be a great everyday guy. Six of his fifteen home runs have come off left handers, and he has a 186 wRC+ in his small sample against southpaws this season.

Next: Odor Admits Fault In Bautista Brawl

Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, Saunders is doing this in a walk-season. After all of the chatter that has surrounded the final years under contract for Bautista and fellow slugger Edwin Encarnacion, Saunders might be the most important player for the Blue Jays to get under contract. At just 29 years of age, the former Mariner will be looking at a huge pay day if he can continue this production (or anything close to it) for the entire season. If he can prove that he can stay healthy, it might even approach nine figures.

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