Blue Jays crush Rays 13–4 to clinch AL East, earn bye; Kirk 2 HR, Barger & Springer go deep

TORONTO – SPORTS – Cue the champagne, Toronto — the Blue Jays are AL East champions! In a 13–4 statement win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Jays turned the Rogers Centre into a thunder dome Sunday, clinching their first division title in a decade and punching a first-round bye to boot.

When the final out hit leather, the Jays erupted: a full-team sprint from the dugout, a pile-up hug around the mound, then a classic handshake line that stretched like a parade down the first-base side. It felt like October arrived a week early.

At the dish, Alejandro Kirk brought the thunder twice, launching a pair of homers. Addison Barger and George Springer joined the long-ball parade with one apiece — Barger finishes the regular season with 21 bombs, while Springer caps it at 32. The bats were loud, the crowd was louder, and the division is painted Blue.

Next up: rest, reset, and a home date Saturday in Toronto, likely against the survivor of the New York–Boston best-of-three wild-card skirmish. Clear the schedule — playoff baseball is coming back to the 6.