Hernandez leads Blue Jays to wild win over Rangers in Toronto's 1st home opener since 2019
CBC
Teoscar Hernandez had a three-run blast and scored the game-winning run as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied for a raucous 10-8 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday.
It was the first time the Blue Jays had hosted a home opener at Rogers Centre since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jose Berrios gave up four runs in just a third of an inning as Toronto's Opening Day starter escaped with a no decision.
Seven relievers came out of the Blue Jays' bullpen, with Adam Cimber recording the win and Jordan Romano of nearby Markham, Ont., earning the save.
Mitch Garver's two-run home run in the second inning helped Texas (0-1) build a 6-0 lead by the second inning. Brad Miller and Adolis Garcia had solo blasts for the visitors.
WATCH l Blue Jays and fans honour Olympic and Paralympic medallists:
Jon Gray struck out four but allowed three runs over four innings for the Rangers. Dennis Santana, one of four Texas relievers, took the loss.
It was the Blue Jays' first home opener since 2019, as COVID-19 restrictions forced the club to play all of the 2020 season and most of 2021 in Dunedin, Fla., and Buffalo, N.Y. When the team did return to Toronto late last summer Ontario still had capacity limits in place for most venues, limiting the cavernous Rogers Centre to just 15,000 fans.
As a result, Toronto's core of young stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio had never experienced a true Blue Jays home opener until Friday.
Bichette's cohort got the full experience on Friday with a crowd of 45,022 at Rogers Centre, the first sellout at Toronto's ballpark since March 29, 2018.
A lengthy pre-game ceremony kept the crowd on its feet for more than 35 minutes. Guerrero, Hernandez, and Marcus Semien — who signed with Texas in the off-season after playing for the Blue Jays last year — formally received their Silver Slugger awards.
Guerrero earned the loudest cheers, including M-V-P chants, as he trotted out from the dugout during team introductions.
Miller, hitting leadoff for Texas, immediately quieted the Rogers Centre crowd when he bounced a 1-2 pitch from Berrios off the stadium's second deck.
Berrios's struggles didn't end there, with a wild pitch to Mitch Garver scoring Semien. Nathaniel Lowe singled in the next at-bat to push Corey Seager across home for a 3-0 Rangers lead.
Eight straight losses to the Americans.
Canadian freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury earned the 100th World Cup victory of his career on Friday night.
Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee will name the Olympic women’s hockey team on Friday afternoon, less than a month before the Canadians open the tournament against Finland on Feb. 5.
In 2018, at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang, legendary ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir strapped on their skates for the final time at the Olympics.
Shekai Mills-Knight, a freshman running back for Ole Miss, will earn some attention Thursday night when his Rebels take on the Miami Hurricanes in an NCAA semifinal football game in Glendale, Ariz., but he first made news a decade ago as a grade-schooler deemed too big for the local little league.
Not so long ago, the prospect of two Canadians meeting in Italy’s Serie A would have seemed an unlikely turn. But on Tuesday night in Reggio Emilia, in the crisp, anxious minutes before the whistle blew and host Sassuolo dug in against Juventus, Ismael Koné and Jonathan David stood on opposite sides of the pitch, pretending not to know each other.
This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.
Nearing full health, Olympics is No. 1 goal for moguls legend Kingsbury over potential milestone win
Canadian freestyle skier and reigning Olympic silver medallist Mikaël Kingsbury says he’s almost at full health following a left groin injury as he prepares for a return to World Cup moguls this week in Val St-Côme, Que.
Zayne Parekh didn't have much interest in the high-water mark he had just surpassed.
Canada will play for bronze at the world junior hockey championship.
Chris Jones reports from Milan ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Cole Reschny tuned into the world junior hockey championship with his family growing up.
On the ice inside a rink in Etobicoke, Ont., where Team Canada was running its second Olympic training camp this past fall, head coach Troy Ryan skated over to Blayre Turnbull.