The Boston Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Tuesday.
Jarren Duran led off the game with a home run and then Masataka Yoshida added a two-run single before the end of the first inning.
David Hamilton, Triston Casas and Wilyer Abreu drove in the other runs for the Red Sox, who had not won since beating the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
The turnaround started with Duran, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
“He’s one of the best players in the major leagues,” he said. “Every night you’re impressed with what he does. He got the tempo right away. He got a pitch, he hit it hard, and from there we just kept going.”
Duran is the first major league baseball player since at least 1901 to hit 40 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season, according to the Red Sox.
“It’s a great honor, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t do anything for the team unless I help them win,” Duran said. “But it’s a pretty impressive statistic.”
The Massachusetts team also ended the Blue Jays’ five-game winning streak, which has won 10 of its last 15 games as it tries to escape last place in the Eastern Conference with a month left in the season.
Will Wagner hit his first career long ball for the Blue Jays. Daulton Varsho also drove in a run in the ninth.
Duran hit his 20e home run of the season, sending a Yariel Rodriguez fastball over the right-field fence. The Red Sox added three runs in the fifth on a Hamilton single, a Casas double and an Abreu single.
Wagner homered in the sixth off Brennan Bernardino, cutting the Red Sox lead to 6-2. Varsho hit his 16the in ninth grade.
Cooper Criswell pitched 3 1/3 innings for the Red Sox, allowing one run, five hits and three walks. He also walked two batters. Greg Weissert (3-2) pitched 1 1/2 innings for the win.
Rodriguez (1-6) allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out three batters and gave up one walk.
“It’s tough when you come to this stadium,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “We had opportunities and I thought the guys did well at bat, but we just didn’t capitalize on those opportunities.”
Catcher Danny Jansen held the Blue Jays back by two runs on defensive plays.
Jansen retired Joey Loperfido at home plate as he tried to slide on his glove in second.
In the fourth, Ernie Clement tried unsuccessfully to get around him after a George Springer fly ball to right field was caught by Abreu, but the throw arrived in time to complete an unorthodox double play.