In his first start for Toronto on Saturday, Cease showed why he received a $210 million contract in free agency. The veteran right-hander set a record for Blue Jays pitching debut with 12 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in an 8-7, 11-inning victory over the A’s. He also allowed one run and three hits.
David Price held the previous strikeout record for a Toronto pitcher, hitting 11 batters in his first appearance with the Blue Jays in 2015 after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline. Price ultimately went 9-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts, the type of success the Blue Jays would love to see from Cease as they seek another American League pennant.Advertisement
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However, the Blue Jays lineup was only able to score one run for Cease while he was the pitcher of record, preventing him from earning a victory in front of the home crowd at Rogers Centre.
After walking Nick Kurtz to lead off the sixth inning, Cease allowed an RBI double to Tyler Soderstrom to tie the score at 1-1. Brent Rooker then reached base on a fielder’s choice and Braydon Fisher came in to relieve Cease, who had thrown 90 pitches to that point.
Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on Daulton Varsho’s RBI single, but the A’s rallied with five runs in the top of the seventh. Mason Fluharty relieved Fisher and received two consecutive singles up the middle. The second made him leave the game.
Brendon Little took over for the Blue Jays and struck out Andy Ibanez before allowing an RBI single to Denzel Clarke. Little then walked Kurtz on five pitches before leaving a curveball low but up the middle of the plate to Shea Langeliers. The A’s catcher launched the pitch directly to center field for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.
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Toronto cut its deficit with an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the seventh and run-scoring singles by Jesús Sánchez and Andrés Giménez in the eighth. Tyler Rogers then pitched a 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Blue Jays a chance to tie the game. Alejandro Kirk then did it with a solo home run off Michael Kelly, Toronto’s first long hit of the year.
Both teams scored in the 10th. But in the 11th, with pinch-runner Nathan Lukes on second base, A’s reliever Luis Medina intentionally walked Varsho to face Ernie Clement. The Blue Jays second baseman worked the count to 3 balls and 2 strikes before getting a fastball down the middle of the zone that he hit to left field, scoring Lukes for Toronto’s second victory in its first two games of the season.