The Toronto Blue Jays made one of the most eyebrow-raising signings of the offseason, adding pitcher Dylan Cease to a team that took the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 11th inning of Game 7 in the World Series.

Making his first start for Toronto on Saturday, Cease demonstrated why he received a $210 million contract in free agency. The veteran right-hander set a record for a Blue Jays pitching debut with 12 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in an 8-7, 11-inning win over the Athletics. He also allowed one run and three hits.

David Price held the previous strikeout record for a Toronto pitcher, whiffing 11 batters in his first appearance for the Blue Jays in 2015 after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline. Price eventually went 9-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts, the kind of success that the Blue Jays would love to see from Cease as they pursue another American League pennant.

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However, the Blue Jays’ lineup could only score one run for Cease while he was the pitcher of record, preventing him from earning a win in front of the home crowd at the Rogers Centre.

After walking Nick Kurtz to lead off the sixth inning, Cease gave up an RBI double to Tyler Soderstrom to tie the score at 1-1. Brent Rooker then reached base on a fielder’s choice and Braydon Fisher came in to relieve Cease, who had thrown 90 pitches by that point.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Daulton Varsho, but the Athletics rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh. Mason Fluharty relieved Fisher and was hit by two consecutive singles up the middle. The second one caused him to leave the game.

Brendon Little took over for the Blue Jays and struck out Andy Ibáñez before giving up a run-scoring single to Denzel Clarke. Little then walked Kurtz on five pitches before leaving a curveball low, but in the middle of the plate to Shea Langeliers. The Athletics catcher launched the pitch to straight-away center field for a grand slam and 6-2 lead.

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Toronto chipped away at its deficit with a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. RBI single in the seventh and run-scoring singles by Jesús Sánchez and Andrés Giménez in the eighth. Tyler Rogers then pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning, giving the Blue Jays an opportunity to tie the game. Alejandro Kirk then obliged with a solo homer off Michael Kelly, Toronto’s first long ball of the year.

Both teams scored in the 10th. But in the 11th with pinch-runner Nathan Lukes on second base, Athletics reliever Luis Medina intentionally walked Varsho to face Ernie Clement. The Blue Jays second baseman worked the count to a 3-2 count before getting a fastball down the low middle of the zone that he hit to left field, scoring Lukes for Toronto’s second walk-off win in its first two games of the season.