Royals beat Blue Jays in 5-inning game after 3.5 hour rain delay
Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Cole Ragans held Toronto in check long enough for the rain to arrive, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Blue Jays 2-1 on Thursday in a game called after five innings and a long weather delay.
Ragans (1-2) allowed the lone Toronto run on three hits and three walks while striking out four.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Jose Berrios (4-1) had his streak of 22 1/3 scoreless innings snapped when Perez, following Vinnie Pasquantino's two-out walk, deposited the first pitch he saw into the left-field bullpen to give Kansas City the lead in the first inning.
When the fifth ended, and an early drizzle had turned to steady rain, umpire chief Chris Guccione called for the tarp to cover the infield. Blue Jays manager John Schneider came out to argue, wanting another opportunity to tie or take the lead, and apparently he convinced Guccione to have the grounds crew roll the tarp back and attempt to get the field in shape.
An usher watches from the upper deck during a rain delay a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
After about 10 minutes, Guccione again summoned the tarp. The field was covered for about 2 hours, and when the rain stopped, the grounds crew spent another hour-plus working on it. At that point, the game was called after a delay of 3 hours, 38 minutes.
Members of the grounds crew spread clay on the infield before a rain delay was called during the fifth inning of a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Ragans had to work around plenty of trouble early, including a runner-on-the-corners situation in the second, when he got Alejandro Kirk to fly out. In the fourth, the Blue Jays bookended Davis Schneider's walk with hits by Justin Turner and Ernie Clement to cut the Royals' lead in half, but Daulton Varsho and Kirk could not get across the tying run.
The Blue Jays had another try in the fifth, when center fielder Kyle Isbel made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's drive to the warning track. Isbel also raced down George Springer's blooper. Then, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, Bo Bichette popped foul to end what turned out to be the Blue Jays' final at-bat.
Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette waits to bat in the rain during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Trainer's Room
Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (bruised right elbow) went on the injured list Thursday after taking a 91 mph line drive off his elbow the previous night. RHP Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the roster.
Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (right forearm tendinitis) was placed on the IL after pitching two scoreless innings Wednesday night. LHP Brendon Little was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take his spot in the bullpen.
Up Next
Blue Jays: Start a six-game homestand that includes a visit by Kansas City next week. Up first are the Los Angeles Dodgers with RHP Chris Bassitt (2-3, 3.90 ERA) getting the nod against them in Friday night's series opener.
Royals: Begin a six-day trip against the Tigers on Friday with a rare 12:10 p.m. CDT start so that it any minimizes interference with the NFL draft in Detroit. RHP Seth Lugo (3-1, 2.03) is on the mound for the series opener.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.