Dylan Cease made a strong debut in his first appearance of the spring training games, while the Toronto Blue Jays had a mix of outcomes in two split-squad matchups on Saturday.
Cease, who secured a lucrative seven-year, $210-million US deal with Toronto during the off-season, showcased his skills by striking out three batters and allowing a solo home run in 1 2/3 innings during Toronto’s 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, Florida. Notably, Cease fanned Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in a flawless first inning before being substituted by Jesse Hahn following a solo homer by Bryan De La Cruz in the second inning.
The Blue Jays took the lead for the first time in the game during a four-run surge in the sixth inning, highlighted by Josh Rivera’s two-run homer. RJ Schreck, who crossed the plate on Rivera’s hit, pulled off a steal of home plate in the seventh inning to round off the scoring. Contributors to Toronto’s offensive effort included Andres Gimenez and Alejandro Kirk, who both drove in runs.
In a separate game in Tampa, the Blue Jays suffered a 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees despite a solid performance by Jose Berrios. Berrios, a seasoned right-handed pitcher, struck out two batters and issued two walks over four hitless innings. The Yankees managed to score two runs in the fifth inning and extended their lead to 4-0 with a two-run homer by Austin Wells in the sixth. Kenedy Corona of the Yankees added a solo home run in the seventh inning, while Toronto’s lone run came from Carlos Mendoza capitalizing on a fielding error in the ninth.
With a current record of 2-6-1, the Blue Jays are gearing up to face Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers in their upcoming game on Sunday in Lakeland, Florida.
