Blue Jays rookie Davis Schneider makes MLB history with epic debut series

Davis Schneider's MLB career is off to a historic start.

The Toronto Blue Jays rookie hit the ground running at baseball's highest level, blasting a homer in his first MLB at-bat on Friday against the Boston Red Sox. He added an infield single later in the contest to finish 2-for-5.

That was just the beginning of a memorable weekend.

After going 3-for-3 on Saturday, Schneider posted a 4-for-5 showing in Sunday's series finale, becoming the first major-league player ever to record nine hits and two home runs in his first three games.

Neither home run was a cheapie, either. Friday's blast off James Paxton travelled 377 feet and would have left the yard in 29 of 30 MLB ballparks. Sunday's drive was measured at 425 feet and would have cleared the fence at all 30 stadiums.

The 24-year-old made such a strong impression on manager John Schneider (no relation) that he found himself batting third in Sunday's lineup with typical three-hole hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting the day off.

Schneider leaves Boston hitting a robust .692 with a 1.887 OPS and five RBI. Thanks in large part to his heroics, the Blue Jays were able to sweep their division rival and move five games ahead of them in the race for the final American League wild-card spot.

Toronto called up Schneider from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday in an attempt to kickstart an offence that had been struggling to generate runs, especially with All-Star Bo Bichette sidelined with a knee injury. Toronto has also laboured against left-handed pitching in 2023, so Schneider's right-handed power bat helped fill that glaring need.

The New Jersey native is one of the Blue Jays' best development stories, as he was selected in the 28th round of the 2017 draft. He has methodically worked his way through Toronto's farm system and was enjoying a terrific offensive season at triple-A, hitting .275 with a .969 OPS through 87 games.