Starting pitcher JP Sears snapped Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 22-game hitting streak and the Oakland Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Sunday.
Guerrero Jr. hit a grounder to shortstop in the first inning, a line drive to right field in the fourth and two more grounders into double plays in the seventh and eighth. His final at-bat was against reliever Michel Otanez.
“He’s the guy you want to try to close the gap to one point. [en huitième]Jays manager John Schneider said of his power hitter. It just wasn’t his day.”
“You get to a point where you’re probably trying to do too much,” Schneider added. “I think he was pushing a little too hard today.”
The Blue Jays slugger tied the longest streak of his career with at least one hit with a single in the first inning on Saturday.
“I’ve seen Vlad do some pretty impressive things over the last few years,” Schneider said. “That sequence was one of them.”
“To hit the ball with that much power in a stretch like this is impressive. In a 22-game stretch, you often see a hit in the infield, but he was doing damage every night with multiple hits.”
Sears (10-8) allowed three runs on three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. He was removed after giving up back-to-back free passes to Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider in the top of the eighth.
Daulton Varsho was the first to solve the Sears riddle with his 14e circuit of the campaign in the fourth round.
Sears became the first Athletics to reach 10 wins since four starters, including Chris Bassitt (now with the Blue Jays), reached that milestone in 2021.
Bassitt (9-11) faced Sears in front of 38,797 fans at Rogers Centre. The Jays starter got into trouble early, allowing six runs in the first inning. JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof each hit two-run homers.
Bassitt remained on the mound for four innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, two walks and five strikeouts.
Bleday, Gelof and Lawrence Butler each had three hits, accounting for nine of the Athletics’ 12 hits in the game.
In the loss, Blue Jays player Luis De Los Santos hit the first hit of his career. He hit a single in the sixth and a double in the ninth that also drove in his first run.