TORONTO — As Bo Bichette rounded third base the sold-out Rogers Centre crowd rose to its feet, cheering for what could have be the perfect ending to a come-from-behind Toronto Blue Jays victory on Canada Day.
But Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo fired a laser beam from right field, gunning down Bichette at home plate as Boston fended off a late Blue Jays rally for a 7-6 win on Saturday. Bichette said he didn't see any stop signs on the play.
"I knew the situation. For us to score a run I need to be aggressive and get there," said Bichette. "But also I knew that the ball was hit to their best thrower.
"I kind of assumed I'd be stopped but I just didn't really see anything."
From Verdugo's vantage point, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hard-hit double actually made it easier to field. Because it was obvious that George Springer would score from third, all Verdugo had to do was deal with the tying run that Bichette represented.
"Vladdy hit it hard. On the turf, the ball is skipping, so you know you’re going to get it quicker," said Verdugo. "I didn’t think (Bichette) was going to go."
Rafael Devers had an early two-run homer and later added an RBI single as Boston (42-42) improved to 6-0 against Toronto this season. Justin Turner had a home run and an RBI double and Masataka Yoshida also drove in a run.
The Blue Jays fell to 7-19 against American League East teams in 2023, even though they have a winning record against every other division in Major League Baseball.
"It sucks. It sucks losing. It's obviously six in a row against them," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "You know that, we know that, they know that.
"It's baseball. I was proud of the way that we fought back."
Kutter Crawford (3-4) held Toronto to two runs on three hits, striking out five over 5 2/3 innings. Josh Winckowski came on in relief and Kenley Jansen picked up the five-out save.
Matt Chapman had a huge two-run blast in the eighth inning as Toronto (45-39) mounted its late comeback. Springer and Bichette each had a solo home run earlier in the game.
Yusei Kikuchi (7-3) had his worst outing in more than a month. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings.
"We understand that the Red Sox are part of the AL East and they're a division foe," said Kikuchi through translator Yusuke Oshima. "All we can do is focus on the next game and just go one game at a time."
Trevor Richards, Nate Pearson, Yimi Garcia and Erik Swanson came out of the Blue Jays bullpen, with Richards and Swanson each giving up a run.
Springer opened the scoring with his 12th home run of the season and 56th leadoff homer of his career. He's second in MLB history behind only Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson's 81.
Devers answered in the third, lofting a Kikuchi fastball 418 feet for his 20th home run, scoring Turner, for a 2-1 Sox lead.
Bichette tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the inning, drilling a knuckle curveball from Crawford for his 15th homer of the year.
Boston retook the lead when Turner's RBI double fell between Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier in the outfield. He reached base standing up as Rob Refsnyder scored.
Devers plated Turner again with his line drive in the next at bat to give Boston a 4-2 lead. That ended Kikuchi's outing, with the left-hander allowing the most runs in a start since giving up five in a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay on May 24.
Richards came on in relief, coughing up a single to Yoshida that scored Devers. That run was also charged to Kikuchi.
Verdugo tacked on another run for the Red Sox in the sixth with his sacrifice fly that gave Christian Arroyo time to charge home for a 6-2 lead.
An errant pickoff attempt to second base by Winckowski in the seventh allowed Chapman to race home from third. That cut Boston's advantage to three.
Chapman continued to chip away at the Red Sox's lead in the eighth with his two-run blast to deep right field. The 365-foot homer cashed in Guerrero.
Toronto's comeback hopes were damaged by Turner's home run in the ninth but the Blue Jays put themselves in a position to tie it again.
Springer singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Bichette moved him into scoring position with a double to right field. Brandon Belt struck out to bring Guerrero and a potential game-winning run to the plate.
Guerrero singled to right field to score Springer but Bichette was thrown out at home to end the game. A video review upheld the call on the field.
"The guys are good, man," said Schneider. "If they were rolling over and quit — which obviously, they're not doing — it's a different story. Today was just a tough loss."
ON DECK — Kevin Gausman (7-4) gets the start Sunday as Toronto concludes its series with Boston.
Garrett Whitlock (4-3) will take the mound for the Red Sox in the matinee.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2023.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
