Teoscar Hernandez’s two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a tie as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 9-8 on Saturday afternoon.
The teams reprised the All-Star Home Run Derby held earlier this month at T-Mobile Park, combining for seven long balls.
Seattle hit four solo shots, two by Cal Raleigh and one each by Dylan Moore and Julio Rodriguez.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who won the All-Star derby, went deep for the Blue Jays, as did teammates Kevin Kiermaier and Brandon Belt.
Hernandez, acquired from Toronto in the offseason, drove in the deciding run against his former team for the second straight game, capping a five-run rally.
Trailing 7-4, Ty France was hit by a pitch from Blue Jays reliever Nate Pearson (5-2) leading off the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Moore doubled to center, sending France to third. Kolten Wong lined a run-scoring single to right, and J.P. Crawford grounded a two-run double down the right-field line, tying the score. Yimi Garcia replaced Pearson and hit Rodriguez with a pitch. An out later, Hernandez doubled to left to make it 9-7.
Rookie Isaiah Campbell (1-0) earned his first major league victory and Justin Topa got his second save despite allowing a run-scoring single by Cavan Biggio in the ninth.
The Mariners took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Raleigh led off with a homer to right-center field and Moore went back-to-back with a shot to left. Two outs later, Rodriguez went deep to left.
The Blue Jays got a run back in the fourth as Guerrero hit a one-out double down the left-field line and Matt Chapman followed by lining a run-scoring single to center.
Toronto took a 5-3 lead in the fifth with three homers. Kiermaier led off with a shot to right and, following a single by George Springer, Belt belted a two-run homer to center. Guerrero Jr. went back-to-back to left-center.
Raleigh led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to center.
The Blue Jays scored twice in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 7-4. Belt led off with a walk and advanced to second on a groundout. With two outs, Daulton Varsho grounded a run-scoring single to center. Alejandro Kirk grounded a single to right field and Varsho scored from first as the ball rolled off Hernandez’s glove for an error.
Blue Jays All-Star right-hander Kevin Gausman — making his first start since the midsummer classic because of discomfort in his left side — allowed four runs on five hits over six innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine.
Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert gave up five runs on eight hits in five innings, with one walk and five strikeouts.
–Field Level Media