JOHN CHIDLEY-HILL — Nathan Lukes's two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning pushed the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-3 win in the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.
With George Springer on third and pinch-runner Daulton Varsho on second, Lukes' drive off reliever Jakob Junis (0-1) landed in front of Guardians right-fielder Jhonkensy Noel to the delight of the 26,087 fans at Rogers Centre.
Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman pitched the ninth inning for his seventh save, leaving Guardians on second and third. He followed a strong 1 2/3 innings from reliever Brendon Little (1-0).
Bo Naylor of Mississauga, Ont. smashed his fifth homer to straightaway centre field in the fourth inning to tie the game 2-2.
Toronto's Springer blasted his third homer of the season to the same spot for a 3-2 advantage for the home team in the fifth inning. With two walks and a catcher interference call, Springer reached base four times.
Carlos Santana, who homered in the second inning, drove in the tying run with a one-out single to right in the sixth.
Toronto starter Chris Bassitt left after 5 1/3 innings and 98 pitches. He surrendered three runs on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Guardians starter Logan Allen lasted 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on sixth hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Takeaways
Guardians: Naylor was called for catcher interference on Springer to keep the third inning alive for Alejandro Kirk's two-run single.
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. belted a pair of hard-hit singles in his first two at-bats. But he was thrown out trying to stretch his blast off the left-field wall in the first inning.
Key moment
Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez left the game after an infield hit in the third inning with a mild right ankle sprain. He was drilled in the back as he chugged down the line by Bassitt and then tumbled hard to the ground after hitting first base.
Key stat
Bo Bichette, who went 0 for 4 on Friday, has gone 63 games without a homer.
Up next
Kevin Gausman (2-3) will start in the middle outing of the three-game set, while Cleveland will counter with righty Gavin Williams (2-2).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
