Blue Jays climb into final AL wild-card spot with win over Royals

KANSAS CITY — The Toronto Blue Jays are finally back above .500. This time, that mark also comes with possession of a playoff spot.

Toronto continued its late-season push with a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, improving to 72-71 and moving into the third American League wild-card position.

The turnaround has been significant. The Blue Jays were 10 games below .500 on July 28, but seven wins in their last eight have changed the outlook of their season. Saturday also marked the first time Toronto has held a winning record since April 3, when it stood at 4-3.

Kazuma Okamoto powered the latest victory with four hits and two RBI, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning.

Okamoto delivers when Toronto needs it

Toronto finished with 13 hits, and much of the production came from Okamoto and Nathan Lukes, who combined for seven.

Lukes drove in a run with a first-inning single as the Blue Jays established an early advantage. Okamoto added an RBI double in the third, sending a ball off third base and into the left-field corner.

Kansas City eventually erased Toronto’s advantage and pulled even at 3-3, leaving the game to be decided in the later innings.

Okamoto provided the answer. The Japanese infielder came to the plate in the seventh and delivered an RBI single to restore Toronto’s lead at 4-3. It completed a 4-for-5 night that included a double and two runs driven in. That one-run advantage was all the Blue Jays needed.

Bullpen closes the door

Max Scherzer handled the first 5 2/3 innings for Toronto, allowing three earned runs before the bullpen took over.

Kansas City did not score again. The Blue Jays’ relievers protected the lead through the final innings, with Tyler Rogers earning his 31st hold of the season, the most in the majors.

Louis Varland then finished the job in the ninth, recording his 33rd save. The pitching staff’s ability to preserve a one-run margin allowed Okamoto’s seventh-inning hit to stand as the difference and extended Toronto’s winning streak to four games.

Toronto takes control of the tiebreaker

The victory leaves Toronto and Cleveland with identical 72-71 records, but the Blue Jays currently hold the advantage for the final AL wild-card position because they won the season series against the Guardians.

That head-to-head result became particularly valuable after Toronto took two of three from Cleveland earlier in the week.

Texas remains within range but sits two games behind Toronto and Cleveland following a 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday.

For the Blue Jays, reaching 72-71 represents a milestone that appeared distant just over a month ago. They have erased a 10-game deficit below .500 and, with 19 games remaining, have put themselves in position to control their own path toward October.

Toronto will look to complete the sweep of Kansas City when the series concludes Sunday at 2:10 p.m. ET.