Blue Jays kick off second half with a bang winning 16 to 7 against the Yankees !

The Blue Jays' offence kicked off the second half with a bang by pounding out a season-high 20 hits on Thursday night.

The club showed no signs of rust following a brief three-day layoff by scoring early and often against its divisional rivals, tying a franchise record with eight first-inning runs en route to a 16-7 victory over the Yankees at Rogers Centre.

"I think the All-Star break kind of refreshed everybody," said right fielder Eric Thames, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs. "A lot of guys went home to see their families and kind of got a second wind.

"We were able to rest and sleep all day and get the energy back. I'm happy to see it, because we were swinging the bats well in Cleveland, and we carried it on to the second half."

Thames led the way in that fateful first with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. That frame was an all-around attack, though, one that featured 12 batters, six hits, two walks and an error.

The eight runs were the most scored in one inning by Toronto this season, and it marked the first time since Sept. 26, 2007, at Baltimore that the club put that many runners across home plate in the first.

The Blue Jays have been on the wrong end of those lopsided innings before. There were the late-inning collapses against the Mariners and Indians, and a one-sided series against the Red Sox earlier this year.

That made Thursday's outcome even more enjoyable.