Ernie Clement had an impressive performance with two runs and two RBIs, while rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage pitched five scoreless innings, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Alejandro Kirk also contributed with a solo home run as the Blue Jays reduced their magic number to clinch the American League East Division to one. A win by Toronto in the upcoming regular-season finale against the Rays or a loss by the New York Yankees to Baltimore would secure the Blue Jays’ first division title since 2015.
With both Toronto and New York tied for the top spot in the division, the Blue Jays hold the tiebreaker advantage due to a superior head-to-head record. Meanwhile, the Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 earlier on Saturday.
The team that finishes second in the division will face either Boston or Detroit in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday. The division winner will claim the top playoff seed in the AL and commence a best-of-five Division Series at home on October 4.
In a thrilling game, Clement energized the packed crowd of 42,624 by driving in Addison Barger and Davis Schneider with a double off Joe Boyle in the second inning. He later scored on a single by Andres Gimenez and added another run in the fifth inning on a single by Nathan Lukes. Kirk sealed the victory with his 13th homer of the season in the seventh.
Yesavage (1-0) impressed on the mound, striking out five and walking two in his five shutout innings. Although he faced a bases-loaded situation in the third inning, he managed to strike out Jonathan Aranda. Aranda later hit a solo home run off reliever Yariel Rodriguez in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays secured their third consecutive win and have won 11 of their last 18 games.
Tampa Bay (77-84) dropped below the .500 mark by seven games for the first time since April 20, 2018.
Key takeaways: The Blue Jays improved their home record to 53-27, the best in the American League this season. The team is one win away from tying their all-time high of 54 home wins set in 1985. In contrast, the Rays have struggled, going winless in their last seven series, a streak not seen since the end of the 2006 season.
Key moment: Nathan Lukes’ exceptional throw from right field to tag out Chandler Simpson at third base after catching a Bob Seymour lineout in the fifth inning was crucial.
Key stat: This victory marked Toronto’s first series win against Tampa Bay since September 2023.
Coming up: Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.47 ERA) is set to start for Toronto against left-hander Ian Seymour (4-2, 2.85 ERA) in the next game.
