ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

Actually, can flash leather lots, though it was unexpected that the not-really-wanted extra outfielder would appear in 103 games for the Blue Jays this season, starting 57 of them.  He has played all over the outfield: right, left, centre. It was just as unexpected that a guy who once went 298 consecutive games in the majors without hitting a home run would wallop two of them in one game — off a left-hander and a right-hander — doubling his total for the season.

Or that, given a ripe chance to set a new career record by going long five times in one season and three times in one game — with first baseman and ex-Jay Rowdy Tellez on the mound in a ridiculous blowout — he’d fly out instead. He singled with Tellez still grinding on the hill an inning later, finishing the day 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a career-high five RBIs.

But it was that kind of wack-a-doodle day for Straw, individually, and the Jays collectively as ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ rag-dolled the Texas Rangers 14-2.

Who knows if Straw can dance a lick, but he tapped two over the fence in back-to-back innings, for 767 feet of home runs in his first multihomer game.

Know what? Damn sure he was trying to rack up the moon shots against Tellez.

“I tried both times. All the pitchers were talking in the clubhouse after the game about how easy it is to hit homers off a position player and I’m, like, ‘It’s actually kinda hard.’ He was throwing these slide cut balls.’’

Factoid aside: Tellez stayed on the bump for two innings, giving up three runs on five hits and one three-run four-bagger to Davis Schneider; he threw 23 pitches, 14 for strikes. This was the fifth time Tellez assumed sacrificial lamb mound duties in his journeyman career.

“I didn’t know Rowdy could throw that many strikes,’’ guffawed manager John Schneider.

Tellez happened to plunk George Springer — just restored to the lineup after getting his brainpan rattled by a 96-m.p.h. fastball that fortunately struck his helmet ear flap — on the hip. There was no damage and obviously no ill intent.

“I was laughing,’’ Springer said after a long chat outside the dressing room with Mitch Marner. “No problem, I’m good.’’

springer was boisterously welcomed back by the sellout crowd too, with an ovation greeting his first at-bat. “I’m very appreciative of the fans here. Felt great to get it going. I’m very fortunate.’’

Just as Schneider was appreciative of having the renaissance baller activated. “Just his presence, his ability, his personality. Nice to have him back feeling like himself and hauling his ass down the line.’’

But this was, most memorably, Myles Straw Day. And he savoured every minute of that, twice bringing the crowd to its feet with those blasts over the left-field wall.

“There’s 40,000 here every day at this point and it’s something I’ve never seen before. Props to them. We love playing in front of them. We talk about them all the time in the clubhouse, in the dugout, how special it is to get this many people here on a daily basis. We’re very grateful for it.’’

Straw claimed he hadn’t been very happy with his hitting of late and had tried a different bat in the cages before batting practice, switching from the thick Torpedo to a longer, skinnier piece of ash. Felt good enough in his hands to take into the game. And, BANG-BANG, his first two at-bats: a three-run screecher in the second, and two more runs tallied in the third.

“Six-nothing at that point and I feel like you’re playing with house money.’’ Yet again, the bottom of the order was flexing. “I went up there and just tried to battle, got myself in a 2-0 count, he gave me a fastball and I got it.’’

Just to remind here that the Jays got “stuck’’ with Straw in January in arguably the worst swindle ever foisted on GM Ross Atkins, when he agreed to take on the then-Cleveland Guardian, who spent most of last season demoted to Triple-A and the $13.8 million (U.S.) remaining on his contract over the next two seasons, in a gonzo attempt to accumulate international bonus pool money and wave all that cash at Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers signed Sasaki mere hours after the Cleveland-ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ deal was announced.

There was doubt Straw would even make the team out of spring training, but he did, as a versatile asset, fleet-footed pinch-runner, deft bunter, excellent glove. And it might just as easily have been Straw instead of Joey Loperfido who got sent down to Buffalo on Sunday morning with Springer returned to the lineup.

Instead, there was Straw, even executing a limp bat flip before his second home-run trot. Rather a homely toss of the bat, as if it were a rubber chicken.

“It needs a little bit of practice,’’ Schneider said.

Straw agreed, sheepishly. 

“The first (home run) I thought I got it. But the second one I definitely knew, so I had to give it some kind of swag.

“Could have been better.’’