Teoscar Hernandez singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday.
Royals designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tie-breaking home run in the top of the 10th to put Kansas City up 5-3, but Toronto rallied in the bottom half against former Blue Jays reliever Joel Payamps (2-3).
After stepping out of the box and banging his bat in frustration over a strike two call that looked inside, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the bottom of the 10th with a double, scoring automatic runner George Springer. Pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia followed it with a game-tying base hit to center.
Bo Bichette singled and Hernandez grounded a base hit through the left side to score Tapia, who slid home with the winning run as the crowd of 40,135 erupted.
The Blue Jays are 21-14 in one-run games, the most one-run victories in the majors.
Toronto’s Jordan Romano (3-2) got the win despite allowing Pasquantino’s homer.
Guerrero had three hits and reached base four times.
Kansas City has lost 11 of its past 13 games in Toronto, where the Royals are playing short-handed this weekend. Kansas City, in last place in the AL Central, is without 10 players for this series because they are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Unvaccinated foreign nationals are not allowed to enter Canada, save for limited exceptions that require a 14-day quarantine.
Bobby Witt Jr.s RBI single gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead in the third, but the Blue Jays answered in the bottom half on Alejandro Kirk’s run-scoring single.
Ryan O’Hearn tripled home a run in the fourth and scored on Nate Eaton’s sacrifice fly. Again Toronto answered immediately, with Springer chasing Lynch and tying the score at 3-all with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom half of the inning.
Making his second big league start, Blue Jays right-hander Max Castillo allowed three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch also pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs and six hits.
UP NEXT
Royals LHP Kris Bubic (1-6, 6.63) starts Sunday’s series finale against Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios (7-4, 5.38). Game time is at 11:05 a.m. You can hear the broadcast of the Royals Radio Network on KMMO AM 1300.