Joey Loperfido hit a two-out, three-run homer in the 11th inning Tuesday afternoon and the visiting Houston Astros defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-7.
Braydon Fisher (3-3) intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to start the 11th, putting runners at first and second. Fisher then struck out the next two batters before former Blue Jay Loperfido launched a 1-2 curveball down the right-field line for his first homer of the season. The teams have split the first two of a three-game series.
Kazuma Okamoto, who had three hits and three RBIs, stroked an RBI single to left against Logan VanWey (1-0) in Toronto’s 11th.
Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell homered for Houston.
Luis Urias, making his Blue Jays debut, had a two-run homer and a single. Daulton Varsho added three hits, including a two-run homer.
Houston scored once in the first against Shane Bieber, who returned from elbow inflammation to make his season debut.
Jose Altuve led off with a double to left and scored when Isaac Paredes extended his hit streak to eight games with a single up the middle.
The Astros hit three straight homers with one out in the fourth.
First, it was Diaz to left on a first-pitch cutter, then Smith to center on a 2-2 slider and Trammell made it back-to-back-to-back jacks with a bomb to the 500 level in right on a 1-1 fastball.
Bieber allowed four runs, nine hits and no walks with two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Varsho led off Toronto’s fourth with a double against Peter Lambert. Urias, acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, homered to left.
Lambert allowed two runs, six hits, and three walks with six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Toronto tied the game in the seventh on Varsho’s homer to right on a 2-0 changeup from Enyel De Los Santos. It followed Okamoto’s single.
Former Blue Jay Nate Pearson walked George Springer with one out in the home eighth. Pearson’s throwing error on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s comebacker put runners at the corners. Guerrero stole second and Okamoto lined a two-run single to left.
Houston tied the game in the ninth against Tyler Rogers. Altuve, Alvarez and Paredes singled to load the bases. Pinch hitter Loperfido reached first on catcher’s interference to force in a run and Smith hit a sacrifice fly to left.
–Field Level Media
