The Toronto Blue Jays opened their series against the San Diego Padres with a hard-earned 5-3 victory at Petco Park, extending their winning streak to three games.
Toronto fell behind early when Xander Bogaerts launched a two-run home run in the first inning, but the Blue Jays stayed patient and broke the game open in the fifth. After Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base, rookie Kazuma Okamoto crushed a three-run homer—his 22nd of the season—to give Toronto the lead for good. The blast tied the MLB rookie record for home runs by a Japanese-born player, matching Shohei Ohtani. Alejandro Kirk also contributed with a key RBI double.
Shane Bieber started for Toronto and battled through 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs while escaping several jams. The Blue Jays’ bullpen took over from there, with Mason Fluharty earning the win before Chad Dallas, Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland combined to shut the door. Varland recorded his 19th save despite allowing a late run in the ninth.
The victory improved Toronto’s momentum as they continued their road trip, with timely hitting and another strong bullpen performance proving to be the difference. The Blue Jays will look to secure the series on Saturday against the Padres.
