Right-hander Alek Manoah pitched six scoreless innings, George Springer hit a three-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Boston Red Sox 9-0 Friday night.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a two-run homer and Raimel Tapia had a solo shot for Toronto (88-69) in the opener of a three-game series.
The Blue Jays clinched a playoff spot on their off-day on Thursday when the Red Sox (75-82) defeated the Baltimore Orioles for their third straight win.
Whit Merrifield had three hits, two runs and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who are trying to clinch the No. 1 wild-card spot.
Manoah (16-7) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four in six innings.
Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (10-12) allowed four runs (three earned), six hits and three walks with two strikeouts in five innings.
Springer and Bo Bichette led off the home half of the first inning with singles. Springer took third on a passed ball and scored on Alejandro Kirk’s one-out groundout to second.
Teoscar Hernandez led off the home second with a single and was forced out at second on Tapia’s fielder’s choice. Danny Jansen walked, the runners advanced on a wild pitch and Merrifield hit a sacrifice fly to score Tapia.
Bichette led off the bottom of the third with a walk and Guerrero hit his 31st homer of the season, a blast to left.
Manoah allowed only walks to Rafael Devers in the first and fourth innings until Abraham Almonte’s infield single with one out in the fifth. Guerrero fielded Almonte’s grounder, but Manoah was too late getting to the bag to make a play.
Jarren Duran led off the sixth with a broken-bat bloop single to right, but Devers grounded into a double play.
Tyler Danish allowed Tapia’s seventh homer of the season to open the bottom of the sixth. Jansen and Merrifield followed with singles and Springer hit his 25th homer of the season.
Merrifield doubled and Bichette hit an RBI single in the home eighth. It was Bichette’s second hit of the game and his 48th of September, a club record for a calendar month.
Yusei Kikuchi pitched the final three innings for his first career save.
–Field Level Media
