Blue Jays take flight in opener
TORONTO 6 TAMPA BAY 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Cavan Biggio hit a three-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays began their still-in-progress odyssey by topping the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night in a season opener.
Earlier in the day, the Blue Jays announced they will play the majority of their home games at the stadium of their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, though it’s not yet certain when the park will be ready.
The Blue Jays were blocked by the Canadian government from hosting this season because of coronavirus concerns, and hopes of shifting home games to other big league cities didn’t work out.
“First of all, this whole year has been crazy, but it’s been especially crazy for our team,” Biggio said. “Not being able to find a home, being turned away from Toronto, Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Landing at a Triple-A field, I think our team is playing with a little bit of a chip on a shoulder.”
Biggio’s infield single began a three-run fourth inning off 36-year-old Charlie Morton, who made his first career start on opening day. Randal Grichuk, Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez drove in the runs.
Biggio, son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, homered in the fifth for a 6-1 lead.
Japanese slugger Yoshi Tsutsugo homered in his major league debut for the Rays. Tampa Bay signed him to a two-year, $12-million US deal after winning 96 games last season and making the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Morton (0-1), beginning his second year with the Rays, was a big part of the success in 2019 and an easy choice for his first opening night assignment after going 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA. The veteran right-hander was at a loss to explain why he allowed six runs and seven hits in just four innings.
“For me, it’s more abut the fact the team gave you the ball. You get an opening day start usually because of what you did the year before,” Morton said. “At the end of the day, you go out there to get and outs and try to give your team a chance to win. I gave up six runs.”
Blue Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, second in NL Cy Young voting when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, allowed three runs and four hits in 4 ⁄ innings. He struck out three, but also walked three before being replaced after throwing 97 pitches.
Jordan Romano (1-0) of Markham, Ont., finished the fifth and got the first two outs of the sixth to get the win. Rafael Dolis escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and Ken Giles worked a scoreless ninth for the save.
Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said it felt “awesome” after all the uncertainty the Blue Jays have endured recently.
“Like we made it to the playoffs,” the second-year manager said. “It was Romano’s first win, we beat Charlie Morton, one of the best pitchers in baseball. It was a close game, it took almost everybody, relievers, position players, good plays to win this one.
It was fun. It was a lot of fun.”
Toronto players Anthony Alford and Santiago Espinal knelt during the playing of the Canadian national anthem, then were joined by Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in kneeling during the U.S. anthem.
HOUSTON — Dusty Baker posted a win in his debut as Houston’s manager and the Astros, playing for the first time since their signstealing scandal rocked baseball, opened the season by beating the Seattle Mariners 8-2.
The Astros started out with a victory at empty Minute Maid Park, the same place that was pulsating last October when they lost Game 7 of the World Series to Washington.
Michael Brantley hit a three-run homer to back Justin Verlander.
The 71-year-old Baker posted a victory in his 3,500th regular-season game as a manager. He took over after manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were fired after being suspended for a year for their roles in the cheating during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.