CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Guardians clinched a thrilling 5-4 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night, courtesy of José Ramírez delivering a decisive walk-off single in the 10th inning. This match marked Max Scherzer’s second appearance of the season for Toronto after recovering from a right thumb injury.
Ramírez, who had earlier connected for a single off Scherzer, granting Cleveland an initial 1-0 advantage in the first inning, demonstrated his clutch hitting once again. He smashed a line drive to left field against Mason Fluharty (3-2) with the bases loaded to seal the victory for his team.
Scherzer’s performance included six hits and three runs allowed alongside three walks in a five-inning stint, where he threw 83 pitches and racked up four strikeouts. This marked his first game since sustaining an injury on March 29. Nic Enright (1-0) secured the win by leaving two Blue Jays stranded on base in the 10th inning. Gavin Williams began the game for Cleveland, permitting three runs on six hits across five innings.
The match began with Steven Kwan drawing a walk and successfully stealing second base. Subsequently, Ramírez’s single turned that opportunity into a 1-0 lead. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. answered in the fourth inning with his 11th home run of the season, driving the score to 1-1.
Cleveland capitalized in the later innings with Gabriel Arias delivering a two-out, two-run double, amassing a 3-1 edge after Nolan Jones benefited from a pitch-clock mishap by Scherzer. The Blue Jays responded in the sixth with George Springer’s two-run single and a sacrifice fly from Ernie Clement, pushing Toronto ahead 4-3. However, Lane Smith delivered his third home run of the year to level the score at 4-4.
In the eighth, Toronto threatened with the bases loaded, but Jakob Junis came out strong, striking out both Clement and Alan Roden to maintain the tie. The critical moment arrived in the 10th when Enright successfully retired Clement, preventing Guerrero and Springer from scuffling home to end the game.
Outlook: The Guardians’ triumph is their 59th comeback win since the start of last season, ranking them fourth in the majors for comeback victories. Looking forward, Toronto will have right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman (5-6, 4.60 ERA) on the mound facing Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-7, 3.86 ERA) in the next game.