TORONTO (AP) — Cavan Biggio hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-6 Sunday and avoid a three-game sweep.
Biggio’s fifth homer of the season came off Emilio Pagán (3-1), who began the eighth by giving up singles to Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal.
The 423-foot drive was the second-longest of Biggio’s career behind a 429-foot homer against Tampa Bay on July 27, 2019.
“I got it as good as I could,” Biggio said. “I kind of knew off the bat that was going to go.”
Matt Chapman added a two-run homer and had three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who are 8-3 in June.
Nate Pearson (4-0) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, and Jordan Romano worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 chances, striking out Trevor Larnach to strand pinch runner Willi Castro at third base.
Donovan Solano hit a solo home run for the AL Central-leading Twins, who failed to hold a 6-1, fifth-inning lead.
“We didn’t get it done,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s disappointing when you have a lead and you can’t hold it.”
The Twins are 9-12 in series finales. This was the third time Minnesota lost when seeking a three-game sweep.
“The sweep, when you have it in your hand, is what you want,” Baldelli said, “Walking away without it is definitely disappointing.”
Royce Lewis had three hits for the Twins, extending his streak of consecutive base hits to seven before striking out against Pearson in the seventh. Lewis went 4 for 4 Friday.
Minnesota’s first six batters reached safely against Kevin Gausman, who gave up four runs and four hits in 36-pitch first inning. Alex Kirilloff hit an RBI double, two runs scored on Larnach’s single, and Lewis drove in a run with an infield hit.
Gausman allowed six runs, seven hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. He’s 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA in 11 career games against the Twins.
“For whatever reason, my whole career has been a grind against them,” Gausman said.
Plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt left in the fourth after being struck on the left forearm by Daulton Varsho’s foul tip. First base umpire Brian Waslh moved behind the plate and Ryan Blakney went from second to first.
Before the inning ended, Toronto’s Nathan Lukes lost control of his bat and the barrel struck Twins catcher Christian Vázquez, hitting him around the collarbone. Vázquez was shaken but remained in the game.
Varsho hit Walsh in the left shoulder with a foul tip in the seventh, but Walsh was able to continue.
Solano homered and Lewis singled home a run in the fifth as the Twins expanded their lead to five runs, but Chapman’s ninth homer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI grounder cut the margin to 6-4.
Minnesota put runners at second and third with two out in the sixth but the inning ended when Walsh called a pitch clock violation against Kirilloff with two strikes, saying he wasn’t alert to the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock.
“I think it’s a bold call,” Baldelli said. “I can’t agree with that, and I think the Blue Jays are walking off the field thinking they got away with something.”
Twins starter Louie Varland allowed four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: 1B/DH Brandon Belt did not play after leaving Saturday’s game because of a sore left hamstring. … OF Kevin Kiermaier (sore left wrist) didn’t start for the third straight game but came on as a pinch runner in the eighth.
ROSTER MOVES
Toronto optioned RHP Bowden Francis to Triple-A Buffalo and recalled RHP Thomas Hatch from Triple-A.
SUDS SUPERSTITION
Gausman said he was watching from the trainer’s room during Toronto’s big comeback.
“Superstition kicks in so whatever you’re doing, you keep doing it,” he said.
So, what was Gausman doing?
“I did have a beer,” he acknowledged. “It was kind of some nervous sips, but we kept it going, so I had to open another one. It’s rally beers, and sometimes that has to happen.”
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Pablo López (3-3, 4.25) starts Tuesday as the Twins return home to begin a two-game series against Milwaukee. RHP Corbin Burnes (5-4, 3.36) starts for the Brewers.
Blue Jays: RHP Chris Bassitt (7-4, 3.29) starts Tuesday as Toronto begins a three-game series at Baltimore.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
