On Sunday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run of the season at home, while Kazuma Okamoto launched a significant solo shot, setting a Toronto Blue Jays rookie record with 85 RBIs. This impressive performance contributed to an 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the rubber match of their series.

Guerrero's standout four-hit game was instrumental in keeping the Blue Jays (75-75) within striking distance of the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot. Toronto remains just one game behind Cleveland, who secured a victory against the Minnesota Twins with a score of 9-2.

With the game tied in the fifth inning, George Springer, Guerrero, and Okamoto hit consecutive home runs with two outs. Guerrero’s long-awaited blast, which came in his 68th home game and 252nd at-bat at Rogers Centre, sailed down the left-field line and landed in the Blue Jays dugout. Okamoto, leading the team with 32 home runs, hit a massive shot into the second deck, traveling an impressive 410 feet. Additionally, Springer contributed to the scoring with a bases-loaded double in the eighth inning, finishing the day with four RBIs.

While Okamoto has had an exceptional debut season, Guerrero's performance has been somewhat underwhelming, with only nine home runs and 56 RBIs thus far. However, the enthusiastic crowd of 41,805 at Rogers Centre celebrated Guerrero's achievement as he donned the team's home-run blazer and later responded to chants of "Vla-ddy, Vla-ddy" with a curtain call.

In the third inning, Guerrero came close to his first home run but instead settled for a double that hit off the right-center field wall. He also added a single in both the first and seventh innings, demonstrating his ability to contribute offensively despite a challenging season.

On the pitching side, Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers (10-10) faced difficulties, giving up three home runs and four runs across six innings. He allowed seven hits, recorded a walk, and struck out five batters. Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease (11-5) struggled initially but managed to last five innings, throwing 94 pitches and striking out nine. Cease conceded one run on four hits, alongside five walks.

Takeaways

For the Blue Jays, Trey Yesavage, who has been sidelined due to a left knee injury since early July, threw a bullpen session on Sunday morning. He is anticipated to make a rehab start this week, with a potential return to the roster in the final week of the regular season.

In a noteworthy development for the Orioles, Pete Alonso became the first player in the American League to reach 100 RBIs this season with a run-tying single in the fifth inning.

Key moment

A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Cease loaded the bases following Alonso's single, which was flanked by two walks. However, the Toronto ace managed to escape the threatening situation by striking out three consecutive batters.

Key stat

Cease's performance reached a personal milestone as he struck out Coby Mayo, marking his career-high with 228 strikeouts this season, culminating the day with a total of 236 strikeouts.

Up next

In their next matchup, the Toronto Blue Jays' José Soriano (12-7) will take the mound against right-hander Troy Melton (8-4) as they kick off a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at home on Monday.