Rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela making most of opportunity early on with Toronto Blue Jays

Just six days after recording his first hit, and only two days after earning his first win behind the plate, the young Toronto Blue Jays catcher delivered another big moment.

In Friday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins, Brandon Valenzuela launched his first home run, also driving in his first RBIs, as the Blue Jays secured a 10-4 victory.

The two-run blast traveled 383 feet to right field off Simeon Woods Richardson, giving Toronto its fourth and fifth runs in a decisive fourth inning.

The surge flipped the game after the Jays had fallen behind 4-0 in front of a crowd of 40,721 at Rogers Centre.

Valenzuela stayed productive at the plate, adding a single later in the game and coming around to score on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. double in the eighth inning. He finished the night going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

His go-ahead homer came on a 1-0 pitch and left his bat at 111.4 mph, the hardest-hit home run by a Blue Jays player so far in 2026.

“He's been pretty good so far, in terms of not being fazed with a lot of stuff,” said manager John Schneider.

“You kind of watch him interact with the pitchers. You watch him with (pitching coach) Pete (Walker), and in the pitchers’ meetings and things like that. You kind of watch how he interacts with the guys, and he's got a pretty good way about him.”

Valenzuela joined the Blue Jays organization at last year’s trade deadline on July 31, when Toronto dealt infielder Will Wagner to the San Diego Padres in exchange for the promising catcher.

He wrapped up the season with Triple-A Buffalo before being called up during the club’s playoff push, where he worked with pitchers needing extra reps on off days.

That postseason exposure appears to have helped ease his transition to the majors. Since being called up on April 7, after fellow Mexican catcher Alejandro

Kirk underwent thumb surgery, Valenzuela has looked increasingly comfortable.

Kirk, along with several veteran teammates, has played an important role in helping him adjust.

Valenzuela also took on a challenging assignment behind the plate, catching 36-year-old Patrick Corbin in his Blue Jays debut.

Corbin, signed just a week earlier, was stepping in to help a rotation hit hard by injuries.
While Corbin had familiarity with Max Scherzer, his Florida neighbor and gym partner, Friday marked his first time meeting many of his new teammates, including his rookie catcher.

“There’s going to be a learning curve for any young catcher,” Corbin said, who pitched four innings but gave up a three-run homer to Ryan Jeffers in the first and a solo shot to Brooks Lee in the fourth.

“That’s always tough to come back from,” Corbin said, referring to his 30-plus pitch first inning.

“I was excited to be back on a big-league mound again.”

Corbin also appreciated the offensive support he received, especially from his rookie catcher, whose fourth-inning home run helped turn the game around.

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