Blue Jays hope Daulton Varsho's walk-off slam can be the spark that starts a fire

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If fanned properly, it could ignite the hot stretch that turns Toronto’s sideways start around. “You never know when one swing, one pitch, one play or one game can spring you,” George Springer said. “It can make you feel good.” The Jays were on the brink of a fourth straight loss, having coughed up two runs in the top of the 10th. But they loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, with Springer at third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second and Kazuma Okamoto at first. That set the stage for Varsho, who lashed at a two-strike fastball and sent the ball in the air to left. Off the bat, Springer figured the ball was deep enough for a sacrifice fly. Then his eyes turned to Chandler Simpson, watching the Tampa Bay Rays left fielder give up on the play. When the ball sailed into the Blue Jays’ bullpen, finalizing Toronto’s dramatic 5-3 comeback win, Springer’s arms shot in the air. Then, in celebration of the walk-off grand slam, he began to jog home. “It can loosen up the clubhouse a little bit,” Varsho said. “Knowing we needed to just have something like that to be able to take a deep breath and relax.” The Jays entered Wednesday’s series finale with seven losses in their past nine games. They’d fallen 10 1/2 games back of the division lead. The back of the rotation is in flux, with Eric Lauer designated for assignment, and runs weren’t arriving either. Springer said they actually felt like they’ve been playing well the last few days, even before Varsho’s big swing. They scored at least five runs in all three games against the Rays, who entered this series with the lowest ERA in the AL. They came back from down 5-0 on Wednesday before losing in extra innings. But there’s a difference between silver linings amid a losing streak and actually winning. There’s a difference between a failed comeback and a successful one. “It’s huge for us,” Springer said. “I think it shows us: We did it last year, we can still do it.” It’s hard to recognize a turning point as it occurs. The Jays didn’t know last year that Bo Bichette’s home run in Texas in May or that a benches-clearing incident in Cleveland in June would end up etched in the lore of a spectacular season. Those histories are written long after. But Varsho’s deep drive Wednesday certainly had that momentum-shifting feel. The Jays needed it. Dylan Cease, Springer, Varsho and manager John Schneider all said so after the game. Davis Schneider climbed over couches hours after the win. Players packed their bags, preparing for a road trip, amidst laughter and smiles. It’d been a while since a clubhouse celebration like that. A MOMENT YOU DREAM OF AS A KID! pic.twitter.com/5fg6W71Ywy — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 14, 2026 If Varsho’s grand slam kick-starts a winning streak and the Jays claw back into the division race, his hit can be retroactively lauded. Yariel Rodríguez, warming for a potential 11th inning, might talk about how he tracked the ball the entire way, holding his glove out to catch it in the bullpen. Guerrero and Okamoto might talk about their view of the blast from first and second base. Now, for a swing like that to really matter, the Jays must earn its place in memory. “There are always moments throughout the course of the year that you can say, ‘Yeah, OK, that was big,’” John Schneider said. “That was a big hit from Varsh.” The Jays supplied so many of these moments last year. Almost every player, by the time October arrived, pointed to a different win, inning or series that turned the season around. But those moments don’t just arrive naturally; they must be created. Just because they happened last year doesn’t guarantee more this season. The Jays are still five games under .500. They haven’t put together a full week of solid play in quite some time, the injured list is plenty full, and the Rays and Yankees have a hefty lead in the East. It’s going to take more than one game, or one swing, to turn this season around. It’ll require months of good play, not just a moment. Sparks only matter if they turn into fires. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms