Stephen Shines, Shaw Homers As Jays Drop Opener
The Dunedin Blue Jays fell to the Clearwater Threshers 8-4 in the 2025 season opener at TD Ballpark in game one of a three game set. RHP Khal Stephen (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K) chucked five shutout frames with six strikeouts in his professional debut.
The Dunedin Blue Jays fell to the Clearwater Threshers 8-4 in the 2025 season opener at TD Ballpark in game one of a three game set.
RHP Khal Stephen (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K) chucked five shutout frames with six strikeouts in his professional debut. Stephen induced 14 swings and misses in the contest for a 40% whiff rate. The Blue Jays No. 11 prospect topped out at 95.1 MPH on the mound and his fastball averaged 93.6 MPH.
2B Sam Shaw (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R) launched a solo homer in the 5th inning for Dunedin’s first long ball of the season, then cut the deficit to a pair of runs with a two-run single in the 7th Shaw’s homer left the bat at 105.6 MPH and traveled 367 ft. It was the hardest hit ball by a Dunedin player in the game and 2nd hardest overall in the contest. Before Friday, the 20-year-old had homered twice over the first 60 games of his professional career. Shaw’s 3 RBI mark a career high. Shaw recorded multiple hits for the first time this season after registering nine multi-hit games in 2024 for the FCL Blue Jays.
SAM SHAW🇨🇦 GOES YA
— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) April 5, 2025
The first D-Jays homer of the season makes is 2-0 in the 5th! pic.twitter.com/65QRPJdE2K
SS Manuel Beltre (2-for-4, RBI, 2B) doubled in the 3rd inning for Dunedin’s first hit of the game and opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 4th inning as part of a two-hit night. Beltre’s double left the bat at 102.4 MPH, the second hardest hit ball by a Dunedin player in the ballgame.