The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Friday night at Petco Park. The win gave the Blue Jays their third straight victory and improved their record to 44-49. The Padres fell to 46-47.
San Diego took an early lead in the first inning. Xander Bogaerts hit a two run home run after Jackson Merrill walked. That gave the Padres a 2-0 advantage against Toronto starter Shane Bieber.
The Blue Jays responded in the fourth inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked, and George Springer singled to put runners on base. Alejandro Kirk then hit an RBI double that scored Guerrero Jr. and cut the lead to 2-1.
Toronto took control in the fifth inning with a four run rally. Myles Straw reached on a bunt single. Ernie Clement singled to put runners at the corners. Guerrero Jr. followed with an infield single that scored Straw. Kazuma Okamoto then hit a three run home run to left center field. The blast scored Guerrero Jr. and Clement and gave the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead. Okamoto’s homer was his 22nd of the season. It tied the record for the most home runs by a Japanese born player in his rookie MLB season.
Bieber worked through a difficult first inning in which he allowed the two runs and threw 30 pitches. He settled in after that and finished with 4⅔ innings pitched. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked three batters, and struck out four. The Blue Jays bullpen kept the Padres off the board for the rest of the game.
The Padres finished with seven hits but stranded multiple runners. They could not mount a serious comeback after the fifth inning. Toronto collected nine hits in the game and took advantage of timely hitting in the middle innings.
Okamoto’s performance stood out as a key factor in the outcome. His home run directly tied the game’s biggest offensive play to the final result. The Blue Jays ability to score in bunches after trailing early showed their offensive potential on the road trip. The Padres, meanwhile, got solid contact from several players but left opportunities on the base paths.
The two teams continue their three game series on Saturday.