Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run home run and had four RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays won their home opener, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-3 on Tuesday night.
Matt Chapman, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer and Bo Bichette added solo homers for Toronto.
Nick Maton hit a three-run home run for the Tigers.
Toronto right-hander Alek Manoah allowed three runs, four hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three.
Detroit right-hander Matt Manning (1-1) allowed four runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in six innings.
Kiermaier made a sensational catch in center field to deprive Kerry Carpenter of a leadoff home run in the second. Javier Baez followed with a walk, Spencer Torkelson had an infield single and Maton hit his first home run of the season to give Detroit a 3-0 advantage.
The Tigers threatened to add to their lead when they loaded the bases with a single and two walks, but Manoah struck out Riley Green before getting Matt Vierling to pop out.
Toronto scored once in the bottom of the second. Daulton Varsho walked, took second on Brandon Belt’s one-out single and scored on Kirk’s single off the right field wall.
Chapman hit his third homer of the season to right center with one out in the fourth.
Manoah allowed Vierling’s single and got Carpenter to fly out in the fifth before being replaced by Zach Pop (1-0).
The Blue Jays got back-to-back home runs by Kiermaier and Springer to lead off their half of the fifth, putting them up 4-3.
Pop pitched a perfect top of the sixth.
Erik Swanson replaced Pop in the seventh and pitched around a walk to keep Detroit at bay.
Mason Englert replaced Manning and tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts.
Yimi Garcia pitched around Torkelson’s two-out double in the eighth.
Bichette led off the bottom of the eighth with his fourth homer of the season.
Varsho walked with one out, stole second, moved to third on Chapman’s single and scored on Belt’s single. Kirk followed with his first homer of the season to put the game out of reach.
Anthony Bass pitched a perfect ninth for the Jays.
–Field Level Media
