Top Five Single-Season Blue Jays Killers – Batter Edition

May 1, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2) gets back to second base on an overthrow to Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Maicer Izturis (3) in the first inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY SportsDuring the series with the New York Yankees this past weekend, it became apparent just how devastating Robinson Cano has been this season in games against the Toronto Blue Jays. In 9 games, the Yankee second baseman has hit .324 against the good guys, with 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and a 1.051 OPS.

That type of performance got me thinking, a scary thought I know, but true nonetheless. As impressive a span as that has been for Cano over the course of just half a season, where does it rank among the top single-season performances by batters against the Blue Jays.

Over the years, the Blue Jays have been torched by Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Rice, Cecil Fielder, and Ken Griffey Jr. just to name a few. However great the seasons put forth by these luminaries of the bat, they do not rank among the greatest single-season victimizers of the Blue Jays.

5.) David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox – 2005

Ortiz hit a mighty .301 with 7 home runs, 9 doubles, 21 RBI, and a 1.119 OPS against Toronto during the Red Sox run to the World Series in 2004. However, he topped that in 2005, when he equalled those 7 home runs, set an opponents record with 24 RBI, posted a 1.164 OPS, knocked out 25 hits, and scored 13 runs in the process.

4.) Robin Yount – Milwaukee Brewers – 1978

Hall-of-Famer Robin Yount remains one of the most under-rated players in the history of the game, but his 1978 performance against the Blue Jays was not. The Jays struggled to get Yount out at all that season, as the then shortstop set an opponents mark with a .473 batting average, placed 6th in hits, 7th in OPS, and 4th in on-base percentage.

3.) Bobby Grich – California Angels – 1979

One year after Yount tortured the Toronto Blue Jays, Bobby Grich stamped his name into the official team killer list.In 1979, Grich would set the opponents standard for OPS (1.520) and slugging percentage (1.000) , while placing second in batting average (.455), tied for third in home runs (7), and tied for ninth in RBI (18) . Oh, and he did that in just 12 contests.

2.) Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles – 2012

2012 was the year Chris Davis put his name back on the map. Unfortunately, he also used that season to tattoo the ball off of Blue Jays pitching. His 9 home runs in 2012 ties Manny Ramirez for the most ever in a single-season against Toronto. His 1.365 OPS that season also ranks 5th all-time by an opposing batter.

1.) Jacoby Ellsbury – Boston Red Sox – 2011

During Ellsbury’s surprising 2011 campaign, the Boston center fielder was consistently ripping the ball off of every pitcher in his path. That was especially true that season against Toronto, where Ellsbury hit an astounding .420 with a 1.225 OPS in 87 plate appearances against the Blue Jays that season. That season ranks as the single-season high of 34 hits and 62 total bases by an opposing batter against the Blue Jays, and also set a opponents record of 22 runs scored.