Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smacked his first homer at home this season, and Kazuma Okamoto followed with a monster solo shot to set a Toronto Blue Jays rookie-year record with 85 RBI in an 8-1 rubber-match win against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
Guerrero’s four-hit game helped the Blue Jays (75-75) stay within striking distance of the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot. Toronto remains one game back of Cleveland, who defeated Minnesota 9-2.
With the game tied, George Springer, Guerrero and Okamoto drilled successive homers with two outs in the fifth inning. Guerrero’s long-awaited blast down the left-field line and into the Blue Jays dugout arrived in his 68th home game and 252nd at-bat at Rogers Centre.
Okamoto’s club-leading 32nd homer into the second deck travelled 410 feet. Springer also hit a base-loaded clearing double in the eighth for a four-RBI day.
While Okamoto has enjoyed an outstanding debut summer, Guerrero has disappointed with only nine homers and 56 RBI. Still, the 41,805 at Rogers Centre celebrated boisterously as Guerrero slipped on the team home-run blazer. The crowd chanted “Vla-ddy, Vla-ddy,” and he obliged with a curtain call.
Guerrero came a foot away from knocking out his first in the third inning, but settled for a double high off the right-center field wall. He also singled in the first and seventh innings.
Baltimore lefty Trevor Rogers (10-10) surrendered three homers and four runs in six innings on seven hits, with a walk and five strikeouts.
Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease (11-5) endured a challenging first two innings. But he hung in for five innings and 94 pitches, striking out nine. Cease gave up a run on four hits with five walks.
Takeaways
Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage, out with a left knee ailment since early July, threw a bullpen session on Sunday morning. He is expected to throw a rehab start this week and could return in the final week of the regular season.
Orioles: Pete Alonso became the first ALer to 100 RBI with his run-tying single in the fifth inning.
Key moment
Cease loaded the bases on Alonso’s single sandwiched between two walks. The Toronto ace then struck out three straight to escape the jam.
Key stat
Cease struck out Coby Mayo for a career-high 228th strikeout this season, finishing the afternoon with 236.
Up next
Toronto’s Jose Soriano (12-7) will face righty Troy Melton (8-4) in the opener of the three-game set against the Detroit Tigers at home on Monday.
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