Blue Jays snap seven-day scoring drought with 9-3 win over Giants, powered by stuffed light-up dragon
The team's newest dugout mascot, a $70 toy purchased in San Francisco, sparked the offensive turnaround Tuesday night.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
The Toronto Blue Jays snapped a seven-day offensive slump Tuesday with a 9-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, fueled by an unlikely sidekick: a stuffed, light-up red dragon purchased for $70 at a toy store near the team's San Francisco hotel.
After being outscored 24-0 in their previous three games, assistant hitting coach Cody Atkinson wandered into a Just For Fun store and settled on the mythical creature, which lights up and growls when you press its ear. Atkinson had considered a sword or a wolf before landing on the dragon.
"We've reached the 'try something weird' portion of the 2026 campaign," Atkinson said. "It's meant to embody fearlessness, and our goal of being the hunter, not the hunted, on offence."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fully embraced the new mascot, telling reporters after the game the dragon "brought fire" to the Jays' offence again. The team scored more than three runs for the first time in a week. If the dragon keeps the bats alive, Toronto might adopt it as an alternate mascot.
