TORONTO — Blue Jays right fielder Rajai Davis tied a franchise record with four stolen bases Sunday in Toronto’s 2-1 win against the Houston Astros.
He joined Damaso Garcia, Dave Collins, Roberto Alomar and Otis Nixon as the only Blue Jays players to do that.
“You can’t stop him,” manager John Gibbons said. “Even if the pitcher’s fairly quick to the plate, he gets such great jumps. His first step is as good as anybody I’ve ever seen.”
When a reporter compared Davis’ speed to that of Usain Bolt, the 32-year-old said he actually watched some film of the Jamaican sprinter Saturday night.
“I was watching his training, seeing what he does,” Davis said. “You can see what he does to get faster.”
Twice Davis stole second and advanced to third on an error by Houston catcher Carlos Corporan. Gibbons said that kind of speed can rattle opponents.
“It just forces them to be a little quicker than probably they’re used to being,” Davis said. “I’m just trying to get into scoring position and give us a better chance of winning.”
