TORONTO — The Blue Jays continue to live by the home run this season as late-game bombs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Marcus Semien kept their near-death playoff hopes alive on Friday.
Gurriel smashed a no-doubt grand slam to left to spearhead a six-run rally in the eighth inning, and Semien followed with a walk-off three-run shot down the left-field line in the ninth to push Toronto to a dramatic 11-10 victory against the Oakland Athletics in the opener of a critical three-game weekend series.
The come-from-behind win kept the Blue Jays (71-62) five games behind the Boston Red Sox, who defeated Cleveland 8-5 on Friday, in the fight for the second wild-card spot in the American League.