Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez each had two RBIs, four relievers held the Kansas City Royals to one run and the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth with Sunday’s 8-5 road victory.
Guerrero and Gimenez joined George Springer and Ernie Clement with two hits apiece for Toronto (90-66), which broke out to snap a four-game skid in which it totaled three runs. That production helped the American League East-leading Blue Jays secure a postseason trip for the fourth time in six seasons.
Toronto’s Trey Yesavage made his second career start and was charged with four runs on five hits and three walks over four innings. The prized right-hander yielded one run over five innings at Tampa Bay on Monday.
Brendon Little, Seranthony Dominguez (4-4), Eric Lauer and Jeff Hoffman (32 saves) helped keep the Royals from sweeping this three-game set.
Salvador Perez recorded career RBI No. 1,012 to match Hal McRae for second on the all-time list for Kansas City (78-78), which finished 43-38 at home.
The Blue Jays jumped on Kansas City’s Michael Wacha (9-13) for three runs in the second, beginning with Gimenez’s run-scoring single. Toronto made it 2-0 via Tyler Heineman’s squeeze bunt, and Springer’s RBI double concluded the inning’s scoring.
Yesavage, meanwhile, opened with a walk to Mike Yastrzemski, then retired 10 straight until Vinnie Pasquantino drew a one-out walk in the fourth. But infield singles from Maikel Garcia and Adam Frazier loaded the bases with two outs for Carter Jensen to bang a two-run single to right.
The Blue Jays scored three more times in the fifth, highlighted by Guerrero’s two-run double off the left-center-field wall. Guerrero scored on Addison Barger’s double down the right field line.
Wacha came out after five innings, allowing those six earned runs and eight hits.
Kansas City chased Yesavage with back-to-back singles by Yastrzemski and Bobby Witt Jr. in the fifth. They each scored on singles by Garcia and Perez, respectively.
The hosts got within a run in sixth after Jac Caglianone tripled and scored on pinch hitter Randal Grichuk’s single.
Toronto, though, added an RBI single from Clement in the eighth. Clement then scored on Gimenez’s triple.
