Cease Fans 12 in Blue Jays' 8-7 Comeback Win

Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease delivered a dominant performance in his team debut, striking out 12 Oakland Athletics batters over five and one-third innings to anchor a dramatic 8-7 comeback victory in 11 innings Saturday at Rogers Centre.

Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with Toronto during the offseason, the largest free-agent deal in franchise history, set a Blue Jays record for strikeouts in a debut appearance. He generated 24 whiffs and threw 61 of 90 pitches for strikes, including seven consecutive strikeouts spanning the third through fifth innings. Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised the right-hander's command. "You saw all of his stuff," Schneider said. "When he's throwing his curveball for strikes, he threw the changeup at the right time today, which is going to be a weapon for him, and it makes the heater and the slider that much better. So that's what we were looking for when we acquired him and what we've been talking about all spring. He executed it really well today."

The win marked Toronto's second straight walk-off victory to open the season, following a 3-2 triumph over Oakland on Friday, where Kevin Gausman recorded 11...