Javier Báez homered and made a brilliant diving play in center field to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the series opener Friday night at Rogers Centre
The Tigers (30-15) became the first MLB team to reach 30 wins. They’ve won four straight and 12 of their last 15 and have two more games this weekend against the Jays (21-23).
Báez scored the Tigers’ final run with a towering solo shot to left field in the eighth inning. It proved to be valuable insurance, as the Jays answered back in the bottom half when Bo Bichette hit a leadoff homer against reliever Tommy Kahnle.
In the ninth, Beau Brieske allowed back-to-back two-out singles to put the tying run in scoring position, but he retired pinch-hitter Ernie Clement to earn his first save of the season.
Tigers starter Jack Flaherty threw five scoreless innings and got the first two outs of the sixth on strikeouts. On the verge of finally pushing through his persistent sixth-inning struggles, Flaherty couldn’t quite finish the frame. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached on an infield single, and Daulton Varsho followed with a two-run homer.
Even so, Flaherty struck out six, walked one, and earned his first win since April 4.
He got some help in the second inning when Báez made a diving catch on Nathan Lukes’ sinking liner to right-center, then bounced to his feet and doubled off a runner at first base to end the frame.
The Tigers opened the scoring against Jays starter Bowden Francis in the second inning with a solo homer from Riley Greene. Zach McKinstry added a solo shot in the fourth, and Greene knocked Francis out of the game with a two-run double in the fifth.
This story will be updated.
Up next: The Tigers and Jays meet again on Saturday at 3:07 p.m.
Right-hander Reese Olson (4-3, 3.38 ERA) will start for the Tigers. Toronto has not yet announced a starter, but lefty Eric Lauer (1-0, 2.00) is likely to pitch, perhaps behind an opener.
Lauer, 29, is a former top prospect who spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues before heading to Korea in 2024.
Olson snapped a streak of 38 innings without allowing a home run in his last start on May 11 against the Texas Rangers.