Baseball

Baseball

After baserunning gaffe a night earlier, Lukes hits three-run homer in Jays’ 3-0 win

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

TORONTO - Toronto's Nathan Lukes wore the goat horns in the series opener against Kansas City after snuffing a rally with a baserunning mistake that ended the game.

He made up for it on Wednesday night in a 3-0 victory over the Royals at Rogers Centre.

Lukes hit a three-run homer and seven pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout as Toronto remained three games behind Cleveland in the race for the final American League wild-card spot.

"I think that's one thing that's good with this team is we're good about leaving things in the past," Lukes said. "And that's what I needed to do."

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Baseball

Lukes powers Toronto to 3-0 win over Kansas City, ending Royals’ nine-game win streak

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Lukes powers Toronto to 3-0 win over Kansas City, ending Royals’ nine-game win streak

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 8:40 PM CDT

TORONTO - Nathan Lukes hit a three-run homer and seven Toronto pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Blue Jays blanked the Kansas City Royals 3-0 on Wednesday at Rogers Centre.

The Royals threatened in the eighth inning as Tyler Rogers gave up two hits to put runners on the corners. Closer Louis Varland came on and needed one pitch to get the final out before working the ninth inning for his 30th save. 

Toronto (65-69) has won 17 of its last 28 games to get back into the American League wild-card race. The Blue Jays remained three games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 earlier in the day.

The Royals (59-75) had their nine-game winning streak come to an end. 

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Yesterday at 8:40 PM CDT

Baseball

Underdog Canada eliminated from Little League World Series by highly touted Japan

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Underdog Canada eliminated from Little League World Series by highly touted Japan

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 7:44 PM CDT

WILLIAMSPORT - Canada's improbable run at the Little League World Series has come to an end.

Taiga Yumitori drove in three runs and scored twice as Japan eliminated Canada from the youth baseball tournament with a 7-3 victory on Wednesday.

Canada's rep team from Little Mountain, Vancouver, was a win away from the tournament's quarterfinals.

It's the deepest a Canadian team has gone in the Little League World Series since 2017.

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Yesterday at 7:44 PM CDT

Baseball

Mistakes prove costly as Toronto Blue Jays fall to surging Kansas City Royals

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Mistakes prove costly as Toronto Blue Jays fall to surging Kansas City Royals

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:42 AM CDT

TORONTO - Mistakes proved costly for the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night in a 5-3 loss to the surging Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a throwing error in Kansas City's two-run sixth inning and Nathan Lukes was thrown out at second base to end the game after hitting a two-run single.

"Everything gets magnified when you're not scoring and then you get a little bit over-anxious I think when you try to make something happen," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

The sellout crowd of 43,245 came to life when Lukes stroked a ball to left-centre field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:42 AM CDT

Baseball

Royals beat Blue Jays 5-3 to extend win streak to nine games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Royals beat Blue Jays 5-3 to extend win streak to nine games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TORONTO - The Kansas City Royals extended their winning streak to nine games on Tuesday night with a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. 

Salvador Perez drove in a go-ahead run with a fifth-inning single off Toronto starter Max Scherzer (1-7). Kansas City (59-74) tacked on two unearned runs in the sixth after a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. throwing error. 

Nathan Lukes halved the deficit with a two-run single in the ninth inning but was thrown out at second base to end the game.

Seth Lugo (6-7) worked five innings for the victory in front of a sellout crowd of 43,245.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Baseball

Canada stuns South Korea 5-1 to advance in Little League World Series

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Canada stuns South Korea 5-1 to advance in Little League World Series

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

WILLIAMSPORT - Shortstop Cruz Krpan had two hits and drove in a run as Canada stunned South Korea 5-1 on Tuesday to advance in the Little League World Series.

Canada will face Japan on Wednesday with a berth in the quarterfinals of the international bracket at stake.

The team from Little Mountain in Vancouver racked up seven hits in the win and limited the Koreans to just three.

Jean Ramos earned the win for Canada, pitching two innings of one-hit ball, allowing a run on four walks. 

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Baseball

Blue Jays place right-handed pitcher Shane Bieber on 15-game injured list

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Blue Jays place right-handed pitcher Shane Bieber on 15-game injured list

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, a significant blow for a team that is on the fringe of a wild-card spot entering the final month of the season.

The veteran starter is dealing with inflammation of his teres major muscle under his right shoulder, the team said Tuesday. The move to the IL was retroactive to Friday, a day after Bieber pitched seven solid innings in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. 

"He felt a little bit of discomfort in his bullpen (session) on Sunday in New York," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before a home game against the Kansas City Royals. "(He had an) MRI (exam) that night when we got back and (it's a) moderate to mild teres major injury. 

"Which sucks for him, sucks for us."

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Baseball

Blue Jays ace Cease has artwork, retail collection launched at Art Gallery of Ontario

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Blue Jays ace Cease has artwork, retail collection launched at Art Gallery of Ontario

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TORONTO - Dylan Cease was a theatre kid, not an art kid, in high school. But the Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher's artistic output has landed him in the Art Gallery of Ontario. 

The gallery displayed his artwork "Eve of Toronto" in its central atrium Tuesday and launched a limited-edition retail collection that includes prints, postcards, T-shirts, sweatshirts and totes, with the proceeds going to support the AGO’s charitable mission.

"I never took art in high school, I did theatre, so I don't know," Cease said when asked what his teachers may have thought of his work. "They probably have a lot of critiques of it, but it is what it is."

Kids from summer camps were brought in to sit as Cease spoke about art. 

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Baseball

Playoff-seeking Jays host hot Royals tonight with 30 games left in regular season

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Playoff-seeking Jays host hot Royals tonight with 30 games left in regular season

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays, with 30 games left in their regular season, begin a sprint — with some hurdles — to the finish line tonight against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

The Jays, who enter play today two games behind the surging Cleveland Guardians for the third and final American League wild-card berth, play their next six games at Rogers Centre, before hitting the road for nine games in nine days.

The Houston Astros are half a game behind the Guardians, who have won five games in a row. The Texas Rangers took over top spot in the A-L West last night. And the Minnesota Twins, who beat the Athletics 9-6 last night, are tied with the Jays and two games back of the Guardians.

The Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers remain in the wild-card hunt as well.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Baseball

Canada moves on at Little League World Series with 3-2 win over Panama

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canada moves on at Little League World Series with 3-2 win over Panama

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT - Jacob Massel contributed on the mound and on the basepaths, Connor Ross hit an RBI single as part of a three-run seventh inning, and Canada staved off elimination at the Little League World Series with a 3-2 win over Panama on Monday.

Canada started the extra frame with Massel on second base. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the game's first run on a throwing error when Connor Matsuda bunted into a fielder's choice, and Panama's catcher bobbled the ball as Massel slid home.

Ross hit a line drive to centre field on a full count that scored Jean Ramos, who had walked earlier in the inning. Matsuda advanced to third and was cashed in when Jason Mezzarobba grounded into a fielder's choice.

Panama got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh, as Jeickot Sánchez hit a run-scoring double and later scored on a wild pitch. But Canada, represented by Vancouver's Little Mountain Baseball, hung on.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

Baseball

Astros and GM Dana Brown mutually agree to part ways

Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Astros and GM Dana Brown mutually agree to part ways

Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

HOUSTON (AP) — General manager Dana Brown and the Houston Astros have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday, when it was tied for first place in the AL West.

Brown’s contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Senior adviser Jeff Bagwell and assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff will take over Brown’s responsibilities while team owner Jim Crane will oversee baseball operations during the transition.

The move comes after the Astros went 3-6 on a homestand that ended Sunday to fall into a tie with the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead.

Brown had been the team’s general manager since January 2023.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

Baseball

Ben Rice hits two-run single to cap 3-run sixth as Yankees pull away for 8-3 victory over Blue Jays

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Ben Rice hits two-run single to cap 3-run sixth as Yankees pull away for 8-3 victory over Blue Jays

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Rice hit a bases-loaded single to score two runs and cap a three-run sixth inning, and the New York Yankees pulled away for an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

The Yankees knocked out Toronto starter José Soriano (10-7) by opening the sixth with three straight singles, including a bunt by Jazz Chisholm Jr. that loaded the bases. After Braydon Fisher got the first two outs, Trent Grisham took a 3-2 slider that was low and inside for a go-ahead walk.

Rice also reached a full count against left-hander Mason Fluharty and lined a slider to right field for a 5-2 lead.

Chisholm added a two-run homer in the seventh and Grisham homered in the eighth as the Yankees earned a win by at least five runs for the third time since the All-Star break. 

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Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026

Baseball

Dylan Cease carries no-hitter into 7th inning as Blue Jays hang on for 4-3 win over Yankees

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Dylan Cease carries no-hitter into 7th inning as Blue Jays hang on for 4-3 win over Yankees

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Cease carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Nathan Lukes' homer in the eighth inning was the difference as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Saturday.

Cease's bid for his second career no-hitter and the second in Toronto history ended with two outs in the seventh on a single to right field by Jazz Chisholm Jr. on his 106th pitch. Cease allowed an RBI single to Austin Wells that cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1 before being replaced by Spencer Miles.

Cease allowed two hits in 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander tied a season-high with five walks and struck out eight.

Cease threw 60 of 111 pitches for strikes. It was the second time this season Cease had a deep no-hit bid and second time he lost a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium.

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Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

Baseball

Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease loses a no-hit bid against the Yankees in seventh inning

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Cease’s latest no-hit bid featured five walks and a rising pitch count into the seventh inning.

It made Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s decision on when to lift his ace a little less agonizing.

Cease lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees on Saturday when he allowed a clean single to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

On his 106th pitch, Cease gave up a single to right field on a 97.1-mph fastball to put runners at first and second. After allowing the hit, Cease gave up an RBI single to Austin Wells and was lifted by Schneider. Spencer Miles replaced Cease after 111 pitches.

Baseball

Giancarlo Stanton strains left calf running the bases, putting his return to the Yankees in doubt

Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton suffered another setback in his recovery from a strained right calf when he strained his left calf while running the bases earlier this week, putting his return to the New York Yankees by the end of the season in doubt.

Before the Yankees continued a three-game series with the Blue Jays on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone said Stanton strained the other calf when he fell down on the bases.

“It’s a moderate grade,” Boone said. “What that means moving forward, we’re not ruling anything out. He’ll obviously continue to work to try and get it right and hopefully be available but obviously we’re at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging, but you also never know, obviously bummed for him.

“Been working his tail off every single day here trying to get this right. I think you all know how bad he wants to be on that field and contributing to a championship. So obviously that’s disappointing but hopefully we just continue to work and get him healthy."

Baseball

Blue Jays’ Guerrero Jr. returns to lineup against Yankees following head injury

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Blue Jays’ Guerrero Jr. returns to lineup against Yankees following head injury

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

NEW YORK - Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been reinstated from the seven-day injured list and will be active Saturday against the New York Yankees.

Guerrero left a 3-1 win in Toronto over the Yankees last week after a collision with New York rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. on a bizarre play at third base in the sixth inning.

The six-time All-Star was injured when he slid at third base and had Lombard’s knee and thigh strike his head. The play caused Guerrero’s helmet to get dislodged, though the first baseman scored the tying run before exiting.

Guerrero returned to the team on Friday and passed his final concussion tests, taking swings in the batting cage after doubling during a minor league rehabilitation game for single-A Dunedin on Thursday.

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Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

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