TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Blue Jays rallied past the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Thursday for Toronto's second comeback victory in a row.
Daulton Varsho had a solo shot in the seventh as Toronto (15-16) won back-to-back games to take the series.
Jose Berrios struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk. Mason Fluharty (2-0) and Yimi Garcia came out of the Blue Jays' bullpen, with Garcia earning his second save of the season.
Alex Bregman's two-run double in the fifth was all the offence Boston (17-16) could muster.
Tanner Houck earned a no decision after he allowed just one run on four hits, striking out six over seven innings. Justin Slaten (0-2) took the loss after giving up Guerrero's three-run shot.
Takeaways
Red Sox: A day after Toronto scored seven unanswered runs to rally to a 7-6 victory in 10 innings, Houck limited the Blue Jays to just four hits including Varsho's home run. Houck dropped his earned-run average from 7.58 to 6.38 in the outing.
Blue Jays: Berrios had one of his best outings of the young season, getting six of his strikeouts in the first four innings. He only got into trouble in the fifth when he gave up consecutive hits to Rob Refsnyder and David Hamilton to start the inning. Although he got two more outs, he walked Rafael Devers to load the bases, setting up Bregman's two-run double. Berrios then settled down for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.
Key moment
Guerrero came to the plate in the eighth with two on and one out and the Blue Jays trailling 2-1. He saw seven pitches from Slaten, launching an 85.8 m.p.h. curveball from Slaten into the left-field stands for the Blue Jays' first lead of the game. His fourth home run of the season scored Nathan Lukes and Bo Bichette.
Key stat
Varsho hit his second home run of the year just three games into his season after starting 2025 on the injured list as he recovered from shoulder surgery. It took him 15 games to reach two home runs last year.
Up next
Chris Bassitt (2-2) will take the mound on Friday as the Blue Jays continue their homestand, hosting the Cleveland Guardians. Logan Allen (1-2) will get the start for Cleveland.
The Red Sox return to Boston to host the Minnesota Twins.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press