Blue Jays Triumph Over Athletics as Guerrero Extends Hitting Streak

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays secured a 3-1 victory against the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, highlighted by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s impressive 21-game hitting streak. José Berríos delivered a strong performance, striking out eight batters over seven innings, while Alejandro Kirk provided the crucial tiebreaking run in the sixth inning. Spencer Horwitz added a solo home run in the eighth, marking the Blue Jays' third win in their last four games. Guerrero showcased his defensive skills by diving into the netting to catch a foul popup, preventing two runners from scoring in the sixth. Berríos, who has a home record of 8-2 with a 2.83 ERA, continues to struggle on the road with a 2-7 record and a 5.29 ERA. Chad Green closed the game with his 11th save, maintaining a perfect record in save opportunities this season. George Springer made history by hitting the 59th leadoff home run of his career, a powerful shot off Oakland's Mitch Spence. This marks Springer's second leadoff homer of the season, placing him second behind Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in the all-time leadoff home run rankings. Since joining the Blue Jays in 2021, Springer has hit 20 leadoff homers. The Athletics managed to tie the game in the third inning with rookie Darell Hernaiz's first career home run. However, Berríos maintained composure, retiring Lawrence Butler to end the seventh inning. The Blue Jays are set to continue their series against the Athletics with Yariel Rodríguez scheduled to start on Saturday.