TORONTO — In a thrilling comeback on Wednesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays overcame a six-run deficit to defeat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 with Alejandro Kirk delivering a decisive, bases-loaded single in the 10th inning. This victory not only marked Lucas Giolito’s return to the mound but also snapped a three-game losing streak for the Blue Jays.
When the 10th inning began, Toronto had Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the automatic runner on second base. With one out, Justin Slaten intentionally walked Daulton Varsho and George Springer to load the bases. Kirk then capitalized on the situation, driving a single to left field to secure the win.
Toronto’s bullpen was solid, with Jeff Hoffman delivering two hitless innings and striking out three. Earlier, Anthony Santander managed to tie the game in the seventh inning with his season’s fourth home run, a crushing three-run shot off Garrett Whitlock.
The Blue Jays initiated their rally from a daunting 6-0 gap in the sixth inning when Kirk and Varsho hit consecutive homers off Giolito, who made his Red Sox debut after inking a two-year contract worth $38.5 million. Giolito had previously missed last season due to a partial tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament and was further sidelined during spring training with a strained left hamstring.
Despite starting the game with only 16 home runs, positioning them 29th among 30 teams, the Blue Jays surged with three homers in the same game for the first time this season.
In the game’s earlier stages, Yariel Rodríguez’s run-scoring balk and Alex Bregman’s seventh homer helped the Red Sox take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jarren Duran followed up with an RBI single in the second, further extending the lead after scoring on Rafael Devers’ double. Carlos Narváez then widened the margin to 6-0 by delivering a two-run homer off Chad Green in the sixth.
A pivotal moment came when Kirk hit a single over Jarren Duran, securing the game’s conclusion in Toronto’s favor. Notably, this was the first time the Blue Jays scored more than four runs since their 6-3 victory over Atlanta on April 15.
Looking ahead, the Red Sox plan to start RHP Tanner Houck, who holds a 0-2 record with a 7.58 ERA, against Toronto’s RHP José Berríos, who stands at 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA, on Thursday.