Boston’s Payton Tolle delivered a stellar performance, holding the Blue Jays to just two hits over eight innings, while Caleb Durbin’s eighth-inning grand slam off Toronto’s Chase Lee sealed a 7-0 victory for the Red Sox on Thursday. The win allowed the Red Sox (65-56) to salvage one victory in the four-game series.
Despite the loss, the Blue Jays continued their strong form, winning 11 of their last 17 games to close in on the American League’s final wild-card position. The series win against the Red Sox was a positive start to their upcoming 10-game stretch against Boston, the New York Yankees, and the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston’s lefty Tolle, who has now won his last seven starts, displayed dominance on the mound, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out four in his 91-pitch outing at Rogers Centre.
In a milestone moment, Max Scherzer joined the elite club of pitchers with 3,000 career innings pitched, becoming the 139th player in MLB history to achieve this feat. However, despite the personal achievement, Scherzer, who has faced various injuries this season, expressed disappointment over the loss, emphasizing his desire to win every game he plays.
The Red Sox capitalized early in the game, taking the lead in the first inning and adding two more runs in the ninth to secure the shutout victory. The Blue Jays’ Andres Gimenez saw his seven-game hit streak come to an end, while the Red Sox finished the season series with a 4-9 record against Toronto, their most losses against any team in 2026.
Looking ahead, Toronto’s Shane Bieber (3-2) is set to face off against New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (6-5) in the upcoming three-game weekend series at home. Despite a recent five-game losing streak, the Red Sox maintain the best record in MLB since the trade deadline, with a 19-8 record, edging past the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves.
