Bo Bichette hit his first career grand slam to break a tie in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Boston Red Sox 6-2 Monday night.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Matt Chapman hit solo home runs for Toronto in the opener of a four-game series.
Toronto starter Jose Berrios allowed two runs, five hits and one walk while striking out four in seven-plus innings.
Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi allowed two runs and five hits and struck out five in seven innings.
Boston loaded the bases with one out in the second on a double, a walk and a single, but Christian Arroyo bounced back to Berrios to start a home-to-first double play.
Toronto center fielder George Springer made a running, diving catch in left center on a drive by Kevin Plawecki to end the top of the fifth.
Gurriel led off the bottom of the fifth with a homer to left, his second of the season.
Chapman hit his third homer of the season with two out in the seventh inning.
After Xander Bogaerts led off the fourth with a single, Berrios retired 12 batters in a row until Bobby Dalbec and Arroyo led off the eighth with singles.
Adam Cimber (4-0) replaced Berrios. Plawecki sacrificed the runners to second and third and Enrique Hernandez hit an RBI single. Alex Verdugo tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Matt Strahm (1-1) replaced Eovaldi and allowed a one-out single to Santiago Espinal and an infield hit on a bunt by Bradley Zimmer when Dalbec dropped the pitcher’s flip to first.
Tyler Danish took over and allowed Springer’s single to load the bases. Bichette hit his second homer of the season to right field and Toronto led 6-2.
Julian Merryweather pitched around a leadoff double in the ninth.
Toronto put Cavan Biggio on the COVID-related injured list on Monday and promoted right-hander Bowden Francis from Triple-A Buffalo.
The Red Sox put right-handers Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck on the COVID-19 restricted list on Monday.
Boston added right-handers Danish and John Schreiber. Catcher Plawecki was reinstated from the COVID-related IL. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, was not with the team.
–Field Level Media
