Blue Jays edge Rays dramatically

Daulton Varsho ended Toronto’s game against Tampa Bay on May 13 with one swing. The Blue Jays beat the Rays 5-3 in 10 innings at Rogers Centre when Varsho hit a walk-off grand slam with one out in the bottom of the 10th, according to MLB Gameday. (mlb.com) The hit turned a 3-1 deficit into a Toronto win and stopped a three-game sweep by Tampa Bay, MLB’s game coverage showed. Dylan Cease struck out nine over seven innings for Toronto before the late rally, and Jeff Hoffman was credited with the win. (mlb.com) ### How did the game get to the 10th inning tied? (mlb.com) Dylan Cease kept Toronto in the game on May 13 by allowing one run on three hits across seven innings with nine strikeouts, MLB’s recap video said. Tampa Bay did not score until the seventh inning, when Richie Palacios drove in a run. Toronto tied it in the eighth. George Springer scored on a sacrifice fly by Kazuma Okamoto, according to MLB’s game story, sending the game to the ninth at 1-1 after Tampa Bay reliever Cole Sulser escaped a bases-loaded jam later in the inning. (mlb.com) ### What changed in the 10th before Varsho came up? Tampa Bay moved ahead in the top of the 10th. Ben Williamson hit an RBI single and Yandy Díaz added another run-scoring single, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead, MLB’s game story showed. Jeff Hoffman still got the win because Toronto answered immediately in the bottom half. (mlb.com) Under extra-inning rules, the Blue Jays opened the 10th with the automatic runner aboard, then loaded the bases before Varsho batted against Aaron Brooks. (mlb.com) ### What was the deciding play? Varsho hit a 92.6 mph four-seam fastball from Aaron Brooks for a 374-foot drive to right field, MLB’s video page said. The homer left the bat at 98.5 mph and ended the game with one out in the inning. (mlb.com) The swing was scored as Varsho’s fifth home run of the season on MLB’s video page. MLB’s game story said it was only the fifth walk-off grand slam in Blue Jays history and the club’s first since Steve Pearce in 2017. (mlb.com) ### Who were the key performers besides Varsho? Varsho finished 1-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs and the game-winning home run, MLB Gameday showed. Cease’s seven-inning start and nine strikeouts gave Toronto a chance to stay close despite limited offense through the first seven innings. (mlb.com) Griffin Jax also covered five scoreless innings in relief for Tampa Bay before the late scoring, according to MLB Gameday’s top performers listing. Tampa Bay outhit Toronto 8-6, but the Rays stranded 10 runners and did not hit a home run. (mlb.com) ### Where can readers check the official record? MLB Gameday lists the final score, inning lines, winning and losing pitchers, play-by-play and Statcast details from the May 13 game at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays’ official scores page also links the wrap, box score and highlights. (mlb.com) May 15 is Toronto’s next scheduled game date on publicly available MLB schedule listings, with the Blue Jays set to face Detroit, while Tampa Bay is scheduled to play Miami. Readers can track the next results through the clubs’ MLB scores pages and the league schedule. (mlb.com) (onsportsnow.com)