Several Jays play a role in surge up standings

TORONTO – Contributions from all four corners of the Toronto Blue Jays roster have played a massive role in their two-month ascension to the top spot in the American League East.
There were many examples of different players leading the way in the Blue Jays’ first four-game home sweep of the division-rival New York Yankees in team history.
Deadlocked in the fourth inning of the series finale on Thursday, a dogged Nathan Lukes endured a 14-pitch at-bat to poke a two-run double down the left-field line that sparked the home side to an 8-5 win before 36,848 at Rogers Centre.
With Bo Bichette nursing a sore knee, Lukes was the third different player Toronto manager John Schneider employed in the leadoff role in the series after Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez took turns.
“That’s an at-bat where you can look back three, four days from now, a month from now, and say, ‘that wasn’t just an at-bat that helped us win this game,’” said George Springer, who continued his hot hitting with a pair of two-run homers to bring his season total to a team-leading 15.
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“For him to keep going, to keep grinding, fighting off pitch after pitch after pitch, and not have a timeout after the fifth pitch was unbelievable.

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“That’s an at-bat where he completely flipped the script.”
The Blue Jays flipped their script back in early May. They have gone 32-18 since May 8 with only the Houston Astros enjoying a better record at 34-17.
Chris Bassitt (8-4), who tossed a gusty 113-pitch outing in the series finale, believes the team’s culture has been the difference.
“Yeah, I would say the culture that we’ve been able to build here,” Bassitt said. “It’s taken a while.
“We’re getting rewarded for playing the game the right way and playing the game hard, not much more than that. I think it’s an old-school approach of how to play the game. Obviously, we have a lot of talented guys in the room, so you have a lot of talented guys playing the way that we’re playing.”
Addison Barger also has chipped in since being promoted from triple-A Buffalo. He homered for the second straight game, increasing his total to 11, and finished the series finale 3 for 4 with two RBI to help the Blue Jays extend their win streak to a season-high tying five games.
“What he’s done for us this series was great,” Schneider said. “Since he’s been up here, he’s been damn good and has added a dynamic to our lineup that we desperately needed. You need stories like that.”
Schneider’s team also wouldn’t be in first place without the leadership and the comeback season from Springer. The 35-year-old was coming off a poor 2024 and endured a horrible spring training, too.
In his last 11 games, Springer has batted 20 for 39 (.513) with four homers, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored, six walks and three stolen bases.
“I’m never going to count George Springer out of anything until he hangs up his cleats,” Schneider said. “Whenever that is don’t know. I hope it’s not for a couple of years. I love that he’s here. He’s proven time and time again that he’s one of the best players in the league.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press


Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.
The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.

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About 200 jobs will be affected.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.
Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.
Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.

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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.
They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.
A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.
Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.
Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.
The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.
McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.
Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”
Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”
Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.
“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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