Blue Jays win rubber match 2-1 on Okamoto homer

A solo home run by Kazuma Okamoto in the sixth inning propelled the Toronto Blue Jays to a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, securing the rubber match of their three-game series. The win before a crowd of 42,372 at Rogers Centre marked the Blue Jays' fourth victory of a six-game homestand.

Okamoto’s team-leading 11th homer of the season, a one-out shot off Miami reliever Andrew Nardi, broke a 1-1 tie and completed a come-from-behind effort for Toronto. The decisive swing came after the Blue Jays had evened the score an inning earlier. In the fifth, catcher Tyler Heineman walked and scored on a double by Nathan Luke that hit the center field wall.

The game’s trajectory shifted dramatically due to an injury to Marlins starter Eury Perez. Perez had dominated through four shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out nine batters without a walk. However, he suffered a right hamstring spasm while stretching in the dugout between innings and had to be assisted back to the clubhouse. Michael Petersen relieved him and eventually surrendered the tying run.

Miami had taken an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single to center by Otto Lopez. Blue...