Lakeland, Florida Kevin Kiermaier and Daniel Vogelbach each homered as the Toronto Blue Jays established an early lead and held on for a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers in preseason action on Thursday.
Vogelbach’s home run in the fifth inning gave the Blue Jays a 5-1 advantage.
Parker Meadows launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to get the Tigers within two runs, and Jace Jung added another home run in the ninth to close the gap even more.
Bowden Francis, Toronto’s starter, recorded five strikeouts and allowed three hits and one run over three and two-thirds innings. Hagen Danner earned the save in the ninth inning.
As the starter for Detroit (6-6), Kenta Maeda allowed four hits and two runs while striking out one batter in four innings.
The Blue Jays will face the New York Yankees on Friday in Dunedin, Fla.
This item by The Canadian Press was first published on March 7, 2024.
The Canadian Press
