Blue Jays erupt for six late runs to break open a pitchers duel against the Tigers

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One of, if not, baseball’s best pitchers facing a team sporting baseball’s best record, the stage was set for an epic matchup in Motown.

It was no letdown.

Tarik Skubal, the AL’s reigning Cy Young Award winner, went up against the first-place Blue Jays for the first time since 2023 at Comerica Park on Saturday night in the third game of a four-game series.

Toronto took the opening two games with relative ease, but Game 3 had a different feel with the imposing Skubal on the mound, facing Jays ace Kevin Gausman.

It went pretty much as expected. The two star hurlers went six shutout innings apiece — with Gausman actually outpitching Skubal — before the Jays pulled ahead in the eighth on a two-run Bo Bichette single, then tacked on four more runs in the ninth in a 6-1 victory.

The Jays had the better chances early on, but couldn’t crack through.

The first real scoring opportunity was scuttled in the fourth inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was picked off at third base, yet another example why the franchise face needs to be more mentally engaged.

A 13-pitch at-bat by Bichette led to a walk as the Jays loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning. Tyler Heineman then looped a short single into centre. George Springer, waiting to see if the ball would fall in, hesitated from third then made the dash to plate but was an easy out after he mysteriously slowed down. Skubal fanned Addison Barger to escape the inning unscathed.

Gausman, who had 10 strikeouts, and three relievers limited the Tigers to two hits, both by No. 9 batter Jake Rogers.

Skubal gave up six hits, walked three and struck out seven.

Since the all-star break, the Jays have gone 8-1 to improve their overall record to 63-42.

With the New York Yankees losing again to the Phillies on Saturday, the Jays’ lead atop the AL East is now 6.5 games.

A win Sunday and the Jays will earn a series sweep over a Tigers team that has lost 12 of its past 13 games but still leads the AL Central by a healthy margin.

All-star Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk was forced to leave the game after he took a foul ball flush off his mask. He finished the inning, but  was replaced by Heineman.

Springer, Guerrero and Nathan Lukes all hit homers in the ninth as the Jays piled it on.

Pitching perspective

The Jays have done well of late when facing some quality arms, whether it was Logan Webb and Robbie Ray when the San Francisco Giants were in town or whether it was the New York Yankees tandem of Carlos Rodon and Max Fried.

One has to go back to the middle of last month when the Blue Jays were in Philadelphia and were completely held in check by the Phillies’ Big 3 of Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler. The Blue Jays were swept in the three-game series and were outscored 22-6.

The pitching triumvirate combined for 20.0 innings and allowed only four runs on 13 hits.

Oh, baby!

Two years ago, Chris Bassitt started for the Jays at Citi Field knowing his wife, Jessica, was back in Toronto poised to give birth to the couple’s second child.

Skubal, whose expecting wife is also named Jessica as the couple welcomes their second child, was activated from the paternity list prior to Saturday’s start.

“As long as the phone stays silent, I expect it to be business as usual,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch prior to first pitch.“If we get a call, we’ll make him come out of the game or out of his warmups or out of wherever.”

Up next

Max Scherzer will pitch on his 41st birthday as he makes his seventh start of the season on Sunday. During his five-year run in Motown, the right-hander started 161 games for the Tigers and would compile an 82-35 record. RHP Jack Flaherty will take to the mound for Sunday’s 1:40 p.m. first pitch.