Davis Schneider smashed a two-run homer in the 14th inning, clinching a 5-3 victory for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. It marked the Blue Jays’ ninth consecutive win over the Pirates.
Schneider’s seventh home run of the season came on the first pitch he faced from right-hander Kyle Nicolas, marking Toronto’s first game-winning hit of the 2024 season.
Despite going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts before his homer, Schneider credited assistant hitting coach Matt Hague for giving him valuable advice before his final at-bat.
Toronto’s Génesis Cabrera pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win, contributing to the Blue Jays’ season-best fourth straight victory. The game also marked the debut of their new City Connect uniforms.
Cabrera’s strong performance was part of seven no-hit innings by five Toronto relievers, following solid work by Chad Green, Yimi García, Nate Pearson, and Tim Mayza.
After Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th inning, the Blue Jays responded in the bottom half when George Springer hit a two-out RBI single.
Springer’s earlier diving catch on Reynolds’ drive in the top half of the inning was lauded by Pirates manager Derek Shelton as a game-changing play.
The Pirates briefly took the lead in the 12th inning with a sacrifice fly by Ke’Bryan Hayes, but Toronto equalized with a sacrifice fly by Kevin Kiermaier in the bottom half.
Although Toronto loaded the bases with two outs in the 13th inning, they couldn’t capitalize, with Carmen Mlodzinski striking out Cavan Biggio.
The Pirates scored first in the fifth inning with an RBI single by Andrew McCutchen off starter José Berríos, who pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and one run while walking none and striking out five.
