In a dominant performance, Boston’s left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle held the Blue Jays to just two hits over eight innings, while Caleb Durbin’s grand slam in the eighth inning sealed a 7-0 victory for the Red Sox over Toronto on Thursday afternoon. Durbin’s 12th home run of the season was off Toronto reliever Chase Lee and helped the Red Sox (65-56) salvage one win in the four-game series.
Despite the shutout loss, the Blue Jays have been on a strong run, winning 11 of their last 17 games to close in on the American League’s third wild-card spot. The series against the Red Sox marked a positive start in Toronto’s upcoming 10-game stretch against the Boston, the New York Yankees, and the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston’s winning streak continued as Tolle secured his seventh consecutive win. Tolle (8-6) allowed only two hits and two walks while striking out four in his impressive 91-pitch outing at Rogers Centre in front of 43,442 fans.
Max Scherzer reached a significant milestone by pitching his 3,000th career inning, becoming the 139th pitcher in MLB history to achieve this feat. Although Scherzer acknowledged the milestone, he expressed disappointment that it came in a losing effort, emphasizing his focus on winning every game he pitches.
Scherzer’s season has been marred by various injuries, including an inflamed left ankle, back spasms, and right forearm tendinitis, which limited his appearances for the Blue Jays. Despite his challenges, Scherzer remained committed to competing and supporting his team through their pitching struggles.
The Red Sox took an early lead with Wilyer Abreu scoring on Willson Contreras’s double in the first inning, adding two more runs in the ninth to secure the victory. In a season filled with ups and downs, the Blue Jays saw Andres Gimenez’s hit streak snapped, while the Red Sox struggled with a 4-9 record against Toronto, their most losses to any team in 2026.
Looking ahead, Toronto’s Shane Bieber (3-2) is set to face New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (6-5) in the upcoming three-game series at home, as both teams aim to secure crucial wins in the competitive AL standings.