Cease strikes out 12 in debut as Blue Jays win in extras

TORONTO (AP) — Ernie Clement singled home the winning run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Athletics 8-7 on Saturday.

Clement won it with a one-out single to left off Luis Medina (0-1), scoring Nathan Lukes for Toronto's second-straight walk-off win.

Toronto rookie Spencer Miles (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the 11th to win his major-league debut.

Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk hit a game-tying homer off Michael Kelly in the bottom of the ninth, Toronto's first home run of the season.

Brent Rooker's two-out single in the top of the 10th gave the A's a 7-6 lead, but Addison Barger tied it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half.

Shea Langeliers hit his third career grand slam but it wasn't enough for the Athletics, who couldn't make a 6-2 lead stand up.

Langeliers, who homered twice in Friday's season-opening loss, went 2 for 4 with a walk.

Dylan Cease set a Blue Jays record by striking out 12 in his Toronto debut, including seven straight at one stretch. He fanned Tyler Soderstrom to end the third before striking out the side in the fourth and fifth.

The Athletics trailed 2-1 through six before a five-run seventh.

Left-hander Mason Fluharty started the inning but exited after being struck on the right leg by consecutive infield singles.

Lefty Brendon Little came on and struck out pinch hitter Andy Ibañez, but both runners advanced on a double steal before Denzel Clarke tied it with an infield single.

Nick Kurtz walked to load the bases and Langeliers chased Little with a 420-foot drive to center.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single in the seventh and Toronto cut the gap to one in the eighth with RBI hits by Jesús Sánchez and Andrés Giménez.

Up next

LHP Eric Lauer starts as the Blue Jays go for the sweep in Sunday's series finale. RHP Luis Morales starts for the Athletics.