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Ryan Goins 1st Blue Jays shortstop with 5-hit game

Ryan Goins, a defensive specialist who struggled mightily at the plate in parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays entering the 2015 campaign, became the first shortstop in Blue Jays history to have five hits in a game in Wednesday's AL East-clinching win.

Reaches base 6 times in AL East-clinching win vs. Orioles

Doug Harrison · CBC Sports ·
The Blue Jays' Ryan Goins high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring on a single by Ben Revere in the fourth inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. Goins became the first shortstop in Blue Jays history to have five hits in a game. He reached base six times in Toronto's 15-2 win with four singles, a double and a walk. (Patrick Semansky/Associated Press)

It's something Tony Fernandez, a member of the Blue Jays' Level of Excellence and career. 288 hitter, never achieved.

Neither did Alfredo Griffin before him nor Jose Reyes in recent years.

On Wednesday, Ryan Goins, a defensive specialist who struggled mightily at the plate in parts of two seasons in Toronto entering the 2015 campaign, became the first shortstop in Blue Jays history to have five hits in a game, a career high for the 27-year-old Texan.

Goins, who moved from second base two weeks ago for the injured Troy Tulowitzki, reached base six times in Game 1 of a doubleheader on four singles, a double and a walk in a 15-2 victory over the hometown Baltimore Orioles to help Toronto win its first American League East title since 1993.

Here is a breakdown of Goins' performance:

  • 1st at-bat: After Russell Martin doubled to score Edwin Encarnacion from first base in the second inning, Goins followed with an RBI single up the middle.
  • 2nd at-bat: On an 0-2 count, Goins singles on a bunt ground ball to Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez in the fourth inning. He later scored on a two-out Ben Revere single.
  • 3rd at-bat: With two out in the fifth, Goins lined a 3-2 pitch from relief pitcher Mike Wright to centre field for a double. He scored two batters later on a throwing error by reliever Jason Garcia.
  • 4th at-bat: In the sixth, again with two out, Goins singled on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Steve Pearce.

  • 5th at-bat: Goins drew a one-out walk from Oliver Drake
  • 6th at-bat: With Martin at first base, Goins singles on a line drive to left-fielder Junior Lake and advances to second on Lake's fielding error. Goins scores his third run of the game on a Darwin Barney single to left.

Not bad for a player that was sent to triple-A Buffalo last year at the end of April after hitting just .150 through the season's first month.

Before this year's all-star break, Goins hit .226 with a .273 on-base percentage, but he's turned it around since mid-July, hitting at a .262 clip with a .355 OBP before Wednesday's five-hit performance. For the season, he's hitting .253 with a .324 OBP, five home runs and 42 runs batted in. Goins' fifth homer was a walk-off shot against Cleveland on Sept. 1.

So what changed?

During a 25-game stretch in June and July, the left-handed hitting Goins worked with batting coach Brook Jacoby, making a move to rest his bat on his shoulder before setting up his swing. Goins' weight is also now balanced evenly on both feet instead of leaning more heavily on his left leg.

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