The Toronto Blue Jays opened their West Coast road trip with an impressive 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, relying on dominant pitching and timely hitting to secure the shutout.
Dylan Cease delivered one of his best starts of the season, throwing seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and one walk. The right-hander struck out nine Mariners hitters and kept Seattle off balance all evening, earning the win in a rematch of last year’s American League Championship Series.
Toronto scored both of its runs in the third inning. Rookie Sean Keys started the rally and finished the night with two hits. Andrés Giménez followed with an RBI double to drive in the game’s first run before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined an RBI single to score Giménez and extend the lead to 2-0. Those two runs proved to be all the offense the Blue Jays would need.
The bullpen preserved the shutout as Jeff Hoffman worked a scoreless eighth inning before Louis Varland closed out the ninth for his 18th save of the season. Toronto’s defense also played a key role, with Guerrero making an important play at first base to end Seattle’s final threat.
The victory gives the Blue Jays a strong start to their series in Seattle and continues their recent momentum as they look to climb the American League standings. Toronto will send Shane Bieber to the mound in Game 2 as they attempt to secure another win against the Mariners.
