News

Pillar hits winning homer in 9th, Jays sweep Mariners

A pile of batting practice balls with MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr on them during warm-ups prior to the first inning of a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, June 6, 2015, in Philadelphia. Photo: Associated Press/Chris Szagola



IAN HARRISON, Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Pillar homered with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday and a sweep of their four-game series.

Pillar delighted the Mother’s Day crowd of 42,030 with a blast to left off Edwin Diaz (1-2), his fifth.

Justin Smoak added a two-run homer for Toronto, which has won five straight and seven of eight. The Mariners have lost four straight following a four-game winning streak.

The Blue Jays lead the majors with 21 homers in May.

Ryan Tepera (3-1) pitched 2 1/3 innings for the win.

Pillar also made a jumping catch in center, taking a hit away from Danny Valencia in the fourth, when Seattle had runners at first and second.


Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Recent Headlines

4 days ago in Sports

MLB owners propose banning high school signings, adding an international draft

Baseball owners proposed banning high school players from signing with major league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations Thursday for a new collective bargaining agreement.

4 days ago in Sports, Trending

New Yorkers are set to fete the Knicks with a ticker-tape parade

New York is celebrating the Knicks in classic style Thursday, throwing a ticker-tape parade for the team that brought home the NBA championship longed for by generations of fans.

4 days ago in Sports

US Open off to a slow and foggy start at Shinnecock Hills

For all the concern at the U.S. Open about wind and Shinnecock Hills drying out, another weather issue popped up Thursday morning. Thirty minutes after it began, play was stopped by fog.

5 days ago in Sports

Tale of the ticker tape: The quirky history behind the Knicks’ first NYC parade

New York Knicks fans have waited forever for this. Thursday's ticker-tape parade for the new NBA champions will be a first. When the team won the title before, in 1970 and '73, they weren't honored with New York's signature procession.