Former Minnesota Twins hitting coach David Popkins enjoyed a lot of success in his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays, leading them all the way to the World Series. But as the Blue Jays offense has struggled to replicate that performance this season, Popkins may be ready to lean back into his Twins tenure to solve the problem.
Speaking to reporters before Tuesday’s 9-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, Popkins tried to find a way to fix his struggling lineup. In the end, Popkins harkened back to the days of the Twins’ rally sausage and hinted to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon that it may take a trip to the grocery store to get Toronto’s offense back in shape.
“I remember in Minnesota, we had a very similar time like this, and it was literally a sausage that guys smacked before they went up to the plate that freed them up.”
Former Twins hitting coach David Popkins may need his own “Rally Sausage” to save the Blue Jays
Blue Jays fans may have raised their eyebrows when Popkins discussed smacking a sausage around before going up to the plate. But Twins fans know he’s talking about the legend of “The Rally Sausage.”
According to MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park, the legend was created when Kyle Farmer received a giant summer sausage in the mail and brought it to the clubhouse to be eaten. Instead of eating it, the Twins brought it to the dugout and hitters grabbed the log of meat for good luck. While former Rocco Baldelli feared the sausage would become a health hazard, the only thing that went nuclear was the Twins’ lineup, sparking a 12-game winning streak and an upturn in performance.
Unfortunately, the success didn’t last and Popkins’s time in Minnesota ended at the end of the 2024 season. In his first season with the Blue Jays, Toronto was second in the American League and fourth in baseball with 4.93 runs per game last season, but it currently ranks second to last in the American League and 28th in baseball with 3.98 runs per game this season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the most high-profile decline, hitting .263/.345/.344 with four homers and 35 RBI in 87 games and the rest of the lineup hasn’t picked up the slack, leaving Toronto with a 43-49 record and in third place in the American League East entering Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Twins have rebounded after a rough first season without Popkins and it didn’t require use of their Instacart app. After ranking 10th in the American League and 23rd in baseball with 4.19 runs per game last season, the Twins are first in the AL and seventh in baseball with 4.90 runs per game entering Wednesday.
It’s unlikely that Blue Jays hitters will start chugging maple syrup or smashing poutine to find themselves at the plate. But that’s not a problem for the Twins, whose offense could help them stay ahead of Toronto in the standings and continue a push for a playoff spot.
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