RealGM

Maybe Vernon Wells was playing dumb.

Maybe the near-record low crowd at the Rogers Centre for Tuesday night’s comeback win over the Kansas City Royals could not do enough to be noticed.

Or maybe given all the former all-star outfielder’s struggles since landing what has become in many ways an albatross of a seven-year, $126-million US contract, he simply forgot what a standing ovation looked, sounded and felt like.

But there it was as a faction of the announced Major League Baseball crowd of 10,565 stood to salute Wells following his eighth-inning double, his third extra-base hit of the night.

Wells said he did not notice, but the fans who had booed him lustily last season for his disappointing production have noticed his blistering start to this season.

A quick glance at the American League statistics heading into play on Thursday showed Wells tied for first in home runs with seven and in extra-base hits with 13.