The defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays fell to 19-25 on Friday night after a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Spencer Torkelson drove an opposite-field RBI single off reliever Jeff Hoffman with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to seal the victory and snap Detroit’s three-game losing streak.
Toronto built a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Andrés Giménez hit a two-run double. Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage pitched six innings, giving up two runs and four hits while striking out six. Manager John Schneider said the “training wheels are off” regarding Yesavage’s workload as he reached a season-high 88 pitches, but the rookie struggled with command. He threw three wild pitches, one of which allowed a Detroit run to cross the plate.
The Tigers used a bullpen game that hit an early hurdle when Ty Madden exited in the third inning after taking a line drive to his pitching arm. Detroit’s offense fought back to tie the game in the sixth inning on an RBI double from Riley Greene. The hit extended Greene’s active hitting streak to 10 games, the longest current run in the major leagues, and pushed his on-base streak to 25 games. The game also featured the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, with players successfully overturning one strike call and confirming another.
The loss pushed Toronto back to six games under .500, exposing ongoing offensive and defensive issues. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. physically showed his frustration by snapping his bat over his knee after popping up on a 3-0 pitch, still searching for his first extra-base hit of the month. Schneider pointed to uncharacteristic defensive missteps, including errors by Ernie Clement, as reasons for the slide, according to a report by Sportsnet detailing the manager’s postgame press conference. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch downplayed the walk-off momentum, warning his team against jumping to conclusions early in the baseball season.