Blue Jays Addison Barger delivers 101.2 mph assist in return

blue jays addison barger returned Saturday after a 29-game absence and changed the game with one throw. In his first inning back in right field, he erased Jorge Soler at the plate with a 101.2 mph outfield assist that helped keep Toronto’s shutout bid alive before the Blue Jays rolled past the Los Angeles Angels 14-1.

Barger’s right-field throw

The decisive play came in the second inning, with the Angels on first and third and one out. Vaughn Grissom lined a ball toward right field, Barger stepped back, caught it and fired home to cut down Soler for an inning-ending double play. Toronto catcher Brandon Valenzuela finished the play at the plate.

Barger said afterward, “I was pretty happy” and added, “Throwing the ball from the outfield is one of my favourite things about the game.” The throw was clocked at 101.2 miles per hour, the hardest tossed ball by a Blue Jays position player since Statcast began measuring in 2015 and the hardest outfield assist in Major League Baseball this season.

Blue Jays pressure built early

The assist gave Toronto a fast defensive turn in a game it controlled from the start. The Blue Jays won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 16-1, and Saturday’s result stretched that run to a 14-1 rout. Barger’s return mattered immediately because he gave the Blue Jays another arm in right field who can finish a play at the plate instead of just holding the runner.

Trey Yesavage saw the value right away. “As soon as it left his hand, I knew it was on line,” he said. “It was just a matter of it being on time. He’s a special player both offensively and defensively. Having him back in the lineup is special.”

Ernie Clement and Bobby Cox

The rest of Toronto’s night kept the pressure on the Angels. Ernie Clement became the sixth player in franchise history to record multiple five-hit games, going 5-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs. His night included four singles and a homer to lead off the seventh inning.

Before the game, the Blue Jays held a moment of silence for Bobby Cox, who steered the club to its first division title in 1985 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. John Schneider summed up Barger’s return this way: “He’s got a great arm” and “People know that it’s one thing to have a good arm. It’s another thing to be accurate with it, too.” He also noted, “You don’t see many outfield assists these days for whatever reason. But yeah, that gives you a little momentum and allows Trey to settle in a bit. You never know how it goes. If the other team gets on the board first and they string a few together, then you’ve got to change your game plan a little bit.”