DUNEDIN, Fla. – Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit his initial home run as a Blue Jay to lead a three-run second inning and Toronto beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 in spring training action Friday.
Kiner-Falefa smacked a two-run homer, bringing in Daniel Vogelbach, giving Toronto an early advantage.
Later in the inning, Addison Barger hit the first of his two RBI doubles, advancing Toronto to a 3-0 lead.
Enmanuel Valdez reduced the lead to 3-1 in the fourth with a solo homer off Jays starter Mitch White.
Toronto increased their lead to 5-1 in the sixth when Barger brought in John Kasevich with a double and then scored on Garrett Spain’s single.
Blue Jays pitcher Trevor Richards encountered trouble in the ninth when a Nick Decker single, Luis Ravelo walk, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out.
But he managed to strike out Alex Binelas and got Miguel Ugueto to fly out, securing the win.
White allowed one earned run on two hits and struck out six over 5 2/3 innings to secure the win for Toronto, which balanced its pre-season record at 13-13.
Starter Justin Hagenman gave up three earned runs over two innings and took the loss for Boston (16-11).
Toronto has four exhibition games remaining, beginning Saturday afternoon in Dunedin against Detroit.
The Blue Jays start the regular season Thursday at Tampa Bay.
This report by The Canadian Press was initially released on March 22, 2024.
