{"id":652213,"date":"2026-03-30T10:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/652213\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T10:23:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:23:28","slug":"blue-jays-bid-to-stay-perfect-in-opener-vs-winless-rockies-field-level-media-professional-sports-content-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/652213\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays bid to stay perfect in opener vs. winless Rockies – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Blue Jays have won their first three games of the season, while the Colorado Rockies have lost their first three.<\/p>\n

Toronto completed a home sweep of the Athletics after two walk-off wins to open the season.<\/p>\n

Toronto struck out 50 batters in the series, the most in major league history for the first three games of a season. The previous high for the start of the season came in 2020 when the Cincinnati Reds struck out 46 batters against the Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think (pitching coach) Pete Walker has a clause in his contract that may have just escalated or triggered,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. \u201cIt\u2019s our team\u2019s 50-year celebration, so I think 50 strikeouts sounds about right. This (game) is so historical it\u2019s kind of cool to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rockies\u2019 three losses to the host Miami Marlins were each by one run. The Marlins completed the sweep Sunday with a 4-3 win on Owen Caissie\u2019s two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth against Victor Vodnik.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, I think the boys are playing good,\u201d Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. \u201cWe were right in these ballgames. We could have won all three of these ballgames. We have, what, 159 left to go? If we keep playing like that, we are going to win a lot of ballgames this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cody Ponce is scheduled to make his Blue Jays\u2019 debut in the series opener. The right-hander was signed after going 17-1, 1.89 ERA, in Korea\u2019s KBO League last season and was named MVP. The Blue Jays signed him as a free agent in December.<\/p>\n

Ponce, 31, last pitched in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going a combined 1-7 with a 5.86 ERA in 2020-21. He moved to Japan and then South Korea. He faced the Rockies once in 2021, allowing three earned runs in three relief innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we have a great starting staff, great bullpen staff with (Jeff) Hoffman as the back-end guy, too,\u201d Ponce said during spring training. \u201cBut I have a lot to learn. I don\u2019t know much, so it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve been up here. I\u2019m just going to pick everybody\u2019s brains and try to have the most success I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in five spring training starts.<\/p>\n

Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (10-10, 4.64 in 2025) is slated to make his Rockies debut on Monday after pitching with the Baltimore Orioles last year in his first major league season. The 36-year-old was 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in three starts in 2025 against the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

He pitched four scoreless innings for Japan in the World Baseball Classic and was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two spring training starts. He allowed 33 homers with Baltimore last season, an area in which he will strive to improve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to decrease that amount,\u201d Sugano said at spring training through an interpreter. \u201cAt the same time, I don\u2019t want to be afraid to throw strikes, so I\u2019m making sure I have the mentality of attacking hitters. Those will be my two main objectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been told that at Coors Field, the off-speed stuff doesn\u2019t move as much compared to other stadiums. But at the same time, I want to improve my splitter, making sure I execute it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n

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