In a game where goals were rare, the Toronto Blue Jays let the Philadelphia Phillies catch up from behind to win 2-1 at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.
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Major League Baseball’s lone roster was limited to just four hits from safe position. One of those was a solo home run by Brandon Belt in the fifth inning.
In the ninth round, the Phillies, with their backs to the wall, took advantage of pitcher Jordan Romano’s generosity to level the game. Bryce Harper hit a single and three batters later JT Realmuto hit a double allowing his teammate to put everyone back in first place.
Back at bat, the Jays saw Danny Jansen, Santiago Espinal and Alejandro Kirk all fail one after the other. The crowd favorite took the opportunity to end the game as soon as he got back in attack. However, it was a defensive error by Bo Bichette that allowed Edmundo Sosa to score the winning point. In total, the winners scored seven goals.
Because of this setback, the Phillies won the brief two-game streak against their Queen City opponents. The Blue Jays return to action Friday in the first of three games against the Atlanta Braves. This series takes place at the Rogers Centre.
A first in Yankee history
Anthony Volpe became the first rookie in New York Yankees history to score a grand slam as a shortstop.
The 22-year-old pulled off the feat on Wednesday in the fifth inning with an 11-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.
His 419-foot bomb in midfield also made him the youngest player in Bronx Bombers history to score a grand slam at Yankee Stadium.
Harrison Bader and DJ LeMahieu also kicked the ball wide in the winning field. In the A’s, all runs were performed by solo homers. The authors of these long balls were Carlos Perez, Jace Peterson and JJ Bleday.
The win ended up on substitute Jimmy Cordero’s record (2-1). Deivi Garcia, who worked the mound in the last three innings, recorded his first save of 2023. Athletics starter for the game Kyle Muller (1-3) suffered the loss.
A 400th save for Kenley Jensen
Later that night at SunTrust Park, Boston Red Sox reserve Kenley Jansen made his 400th save of his career in a 5-2 win over the Braves.
He is the seventh shooter in major league history to reach that mark. The others are Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Francisco Rodriguez, John Franco and Billy Wagner.
Jansen worked against the Georgia club in the ninth inning and scored a strikeout. The 35-year veteran is currently playing his 14th season in the major leagues and his first with the Red Sox. He previously wore the colors of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2010 to 2021) and the Braves (2022).
Justin Verlander beats every major league baseball team
Pitcher Justin Verlander has officially defeated all 30 major league baseball teams.
On Wednesday night, the New York Mets representative signed the 2-1 win over the Reds of Cincinnati.
He only gave up one run, two hits and two walks in seven innings. He also overtook seven competitors in mittens.
The 40-year veteran is the 21st pitcher in major league history lucky enough to beat every team in the league and the first since Gerrit Cole in July 2021. With the Mets, Verlander isn’t the only member of that pick Club, since his teammate Max Scherzer also managed this feat.
It was the second start this season for Verlander, who signed a two-year, $86.7 million contract with the Mets last December. The Virginia native previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. In his career he went 245-134 with an ERA of 3.24.