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Nine Innings: How the Blue Jays Are Riding Out Their Hot Start, Bartolo's Sneaky Speed and Javier Baez's Transformation

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NEW YORK — The most recent evidence that the Blue Jays believe they are in this thing stood quietly in the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Friday, touching the nameplate on his blue No. 13 GURRIEL JR. jersey.

“It’s the first time that I saw my name on the back of a jersey here,” says 24-year-old infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. through interpreter Josue Peley. “In spring training it doesn’t have it.”

Gurriel awoke on the morning of April 19 a member of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Toronto’s Double A affiliate. He hit a home run in his team’s win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and, rounding third, reached over to celebrate with his manager, John Schneider, who was serving as third-base coach.