Finally back to .500, the Blue Jays have 20 games to determine how we’ll remember the 2026 season and they’re playing their best baseball at exactly the right time. This isn’t the race the Blue Jays dreamed of when they entered the 2026 season as World Series contenders, fresh off taking the Dodgers to extra innings in Game 7, but none of that matters now. The Blue Jays have given themselves another life, and with Friday’s 9-2 win over the Royals, are back to .500 (71-71). This leaves them just one game shy of the Guardians, who they hold a tiebreaker over. “We’re gritty as hell,” said Ernie Clement. “If we go down early, we’re not afraid to come back. Right now, we’re punching first, which is something I don’t think we had done early in the season.” This is what mattered most: **1\. Another offensive outburst** This hasn’t been the Blue Jays’ “brand of baseball” by any means, but what a start Friday night. With a flurry of blows right out of the gate, the Blue Jays hung four runs on the Royals in the first inning, capped by an Ernie Clement double into the left-field corner. This was a Clement classic, and much-needed after he’s been grinding through the past month offensively.
