Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt, left, is tagged out by Toronto Blue Jays’ Danny Jansen, right, as he attempts to score on a single by Red Sox’s Jackie Bradley Jr. in the second inning of a baseball game in Boston, Sunday, June 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP
BOSTON (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. came strolling out of Toronto’s clubhouse to an interview area wearing a wrestling-belt lookalike with a big smile on his face.
The Blue Jays give one to their position player of the game and another to their pitcher to wear. It’s easy to figure out who had the other one when they made their way out of town.
Marcus Stroman pitched six shutout innings, Gurriel Jr. had three hits and threw out a runner at the plate, and the Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 Sunday.
“We do one for a pitcher and another for a hitter,” said Stroman, wearing his while chatting with Blue Jays fans before he walked to the team bus.
Stroman showed his own joy earlier when he fanned Eduardo Núñez, the final batter he faced.
“To limit that team to no runs over six is huge,” Stroman said. “It’s hard to do. I was really locked in all game. That’s just me showing emotion, passion for the game.”
Danny Jansen hit a two-run single and Eric Sogard a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who won the final two games of the three-game series. Rowdy Tellez added two hits and scored twice.
The Red Sox had won eight of nine after taking the series opener Friday on Christian Vázquez’s two-run, walk-off homer.
Stroman (5-9) held the Red Sox to five singles — three coming consecutively in the second inning when Gurriel made his throw from left field — and struck out six while walking one. It’s the fifth time in his last eight starts that he’s held an opponent to no more than one earned run.
“That was the best part definitely of the day over the hitting,” Gurriel said through a translator. “It was really emotional. I was so happy to get that guy at home plate.”
Rick Porcello (5-7) gave up five runs on eight hits over six innings.
The Blue Jays scored single runs in the second and third before adding three more in the sixth for a 5-0 lead.
“Put ourselves in a tough hole especially when Stroman was throwing the ball so well and runs and hits were hard to come by,” Porcello said of the sixth.
Unlike the first two games of the series when each team blew a big lead late, Stroman and three relievers made this one stand.
On Friday, the Red Sox trailed 5-1 in the seventh. Toronto fell behind 6-0 and trailed 6-1 in the seventh Saturday before coming back against Boston’s beleaguered bullpen.
“We stole one on Friday, we had a lead on Saturday, and they stole the game, and today we didn’t show up,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s disappointing.”
With Toronto leading 2-0, Porcello balked home a run before Jansen lined his bases-loaded single to left-center.
Gurriel cut down Brock Holt trying to score from second easily on Jackie Bradley Jr.’s single with two on and one out.
Brandon Drury’s broken bat RBI single made it 1-0, and Cavan Biggio had a run-scoring double.
FLYING BROKEN BAT
A young boy seated about 15 rows behind Toronto’s on-deck circle was grazed by a piece of Drury’s bat that broke on his RBI single, sending the barrel flying over the protect netting. The boy was immediately visited by an EMT, and the Red Sox said he received medical attention and stayed.
LIKES SEEING THEM
Tellez went 2 for 3 with a double, single and intentional walk. In seven games against the Red Sox this season, he’s batting .423 (11 for 26) with five homers and nine RBIs.
“He’s been killing us,” Cora said before the game.
BACK SOON
Barring Boston’s game being postponed Monday, knuckleballer Steven Wright is eligible to return Tuesday after serving his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: INF Holt came out with left hamstring tightness. He had been the club’s hottest hitter since coming off the injured list May 27, batting .357 entering Sunday. “I’m hoping this won’t more than a day or so,” he said. . Cora said he expects to have 3B Rafael Devers (right hamstring tightness) back in the lineup on Monday. He hasn’t started in three straight games, pinch-hitting twice. .. 1B Steve Pearce (lower back strain) was slated to have another rehab game with Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday, and Cora said they’d decide in the next few days when he’d return.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-9, 5.49 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-game series Monday at Yankee Stadium against LHP CC Sabathia (4-4, 4.14).
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (8-4, 4.71) is in line to start against White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (10-2, 2.74) in the opener of a three-game set Monday at Fenway Park.
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