Springer's milestone homer the cherry on top of Blue Jays' HR barrage

BOSTON -- These are the simple nights the Blue Jays need, when they roll into town and beat a team they should beat.

The Blue Jays looked like the better team in all aspects of Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park, with Dylan Cease outdueling Payton Tolle to set the table for a crucial road trip in their chase for .500 ... and beyond.

This is what mattered most from the win:

1. BACK TO BACK

For the first time in 2026, the Blue Jays hit back-to-back home runs. In the fifth inning, Davis Schneider launched one over the Green Monster and Andrés Giménez sent a shot to one of the deepest parts of Fenway in right-center field.

Schneider’s job is to crush lefties, and even if it’s taken some time this season, this is what the Blue Jays expect from him now that he’s back in the big leagues. Giménez doing this against a lefty, though? That’s rare.

Giménez’s career numbers against lefties are weaker than his numbers against right-handed pitchers, but that’s become particularly pronounced over the past couple of seasons. Coming into play Tuesday, just 12 of his 62 career home runs were against lefties, but the 413-foot shot off Tolle was one of Giménez’s best swings of the season.

2. SETUP MAN: Straw goes 14 deep

This game had Myles Straw all over it, both in the field and in the box. His finest moment came in the third inning, when Straw worked a 14-pitch at-bat against Tolle. At one point, he fouled off eight pitches in a row, grinding through the frustrating, neverending at-bat to run up Tolle’s pitch count.

Straw ended up flaring a fly ball to right field, which allowed Giménez to scamper from second to third. The next batter, George Springer, brought Giménez home on a sac fly. This should be like hockey’s version of the second assist where, somehow, Straw gets awarded a second RBI on the run.

“That’s just an unbelievable at-bat,” said Springer. “He had a plan. He was trying to get the guy over the whole time. He was able to fight off a lot of extremely hard pitches to foul off. He did his job. He got the guy to third. A 14-pitch at-bat? He did everything he needed to do. That fired up the dugout and got everybody going. He’s playing for the name on the front, not the name on the back.”

This is what the Blue Jays need more of -- players dominating in their own ways, which looks different for everyone. It’s what made the 2025 squad so special, all of their skill sets maximized and fitting perfectly together.

Straw’s job is to work pitchers, apply pressure on the bases and play excellent defense. Just an inning later, he made a fantastic running grab going back toward the wall, robbing Caleb Durbin of what might have been a triple. If more players nail their own, individual roles like Straw did on Tuesday night, the Blue Jays will be fine.

3. MR. 300

Capping off the impressive night was Springer’s 300th career MLB home run, and it was a no-doubter.

“It means a lot,” Springer said. “It’s been a long time. You’ve just got to keep grinding. That’s a lot of work every year. It’s an awesome experience.”

At 438 feet over the Green Monster, this was Springer’s seventh home run of the season and another extremely encouraging step in the right direction after he reached base twice earlier in the game. Springer also came into Tuesday’s opener against the Red Sox with six walks in his past four games, so something is starting to click.

“It’s a long season,” Springer continued. “Over the span of 162 games, you’re going to have to make adjustments, and I understand that. I think I’ve done a really good job of slowing things down and understanding what I need to do in the moment, then it’s on to the next.”

There are bigger pieces that need to fall into place, too, particularly Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but it all begins with Springer up top. If he can get back closer to the hitter he was a year ago, it will be much easier for the Blue Jays to stick with him as the everyday DH and avoid the temptation of cycling others through or bumping Springer back to the corner outfield.