Blue Jays offense awakens in Game 3 rout of M's

"SEATTLE -- Somewhere along the 2,100-mile flight from Toronto to Seattle, the Blue Jays found their bats. Somewhere along the journey west, Blue Jays hitting coach Dave Popkins also sent manager John Schneider a video of the 1996 World Series -- a series in which the New York Yankees lost the first two games at home only to rally and win the next four. The message: This series is not over."

"Across those first two games against Seattle, the Jays hit just 10 total balls in play at 100 mph or higher. In their five-run explosion against George Kirby in the third inning, there was nothing cheap. They had four hits alone in the inning of 103-plus mph, with No. 9 hitter Andres Gimenez starting the attack with a two-run home run to right field and Daulton Varsho finishing it off with a two-run laser beam of a double off the wall in right."

"The exclamation points came on George Springer's 431-foot blast to center field in the fourth ... and then Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s home run to center in the fifth ... and then Alejandro Kirk's three-run opposite-field home run to right in the sixth. The Blue Jays had Mariners fans in the outfield bleachers scattering like the seagulls looking for scraps at Ivar's Acres of Clams on Alaskan Way."

Toronto Blue Jays rallied to a 13-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the ALCS, avoiding elimination and reigniting their offense. The club hit five home runs and four doubles, emphasizing more fly balls and harder contact after two low-output losses. A five-run third inning against George Kirby featured multiple 100-plus mph batted balls, highlighted by Andres Gimenez's two-run homer and Daulton Varsho's two-run double. George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk added homers later. Hitting coach Dave Popkins sent a 1996 World Series clip as a morale message that the series remained alive.

Read at ESPN.com