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The Blue Jays’ minor league affiliates opened their season with a clean sweep, going 3-0 in their three games on Opening Night.
New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6, Hartford Yard Goats 0
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats got their season off to a roaring start although the club’s top two newsmakers were mostly quiet in a 6-0 win over the Hartford Yard Goats. Lourdes Gurriel led the offense with two doubles and two RBI, going 2/4 with a sacrifice fly while Cavan Biggio, making his Double-A debut while playing first base for the first time as a pro also had two hits, including a double, and two RBI. Connor Panas made his Double-A debut with a pair of singles and an RBI. Bo Bichette was 0/4 with a walk and a run while Vladimir Guerrero was 1/4 with a double, a walk and two runs.
Francisco Rios got the start and tossed four scoreless innings, giving up only four hits and striking out five. Justin Shafer gave up two hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out three and Craig Breslow tidied up the sixth with two strikeouts. Dusty Isaacs tossed another 1 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out one and Jose Fernandez finished it off with 1 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out one.
W: Justin Shafer (1-0)
Player of the Game
Jay Blue: Lourdes Gurriel and Francisco Rios
Wesley James: Lourdes Gurriel
Dunedin Blue Jays 5, Clearwater Threshers 4
The Dunedin Blue Jays staked T.J. Zeuch to an early lead but he let the Clearwater Threshers tie it up before the Jays went ahead for good in the seventh in a 5-4 win to open their season. Zeuch went six innings, throwing just 76 pitches (50 for strikes) but gave up four runs on four hits (including two home runs) while walking two and striking out five in his season debut. Justin Dillon came on for 1 1/3 innings, walking one and Travis Bergen finished the eighth, striking out both batters he faced. Kirby Snead saved the game, throwing a scoreless ninth, striking out one.
While Nash Knight launched a home run in the second inning, it was a wild pitch with Ivan Castillo on third after hitting a triple that gave the Blue Jays the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Castillo was 2/4 with a double and a triple while John LaPrise was 2/4 with an RBI and Joshua Palacios was 2/3 with two walks and a stolen base. In his Advanced-A debut, Logan Warmoth was 1/5 with a stolen base and a run while Riley Adams was 1/4 with a double, two RBI and a run.
W: T.J. Zeuch (1-0)
S: Kirby Snead (1)
HR: Nash Knight (1)
Player of the Game
Jay Blue: Joshua Palacios
Wesley James: Joshua Palacios
Lansing Lugnuts 12, Great Lakes Loons 1
The Lansing Lugnuts excelled in all parts of the game, convincingly defeating the Great Lakes Loons by an 12-1 score, rapping 13 hits to just two for Great Lakes. Kevin Vicuna was 3/6 with two RBI and three runs while Reggie Pruitt also had three hits with two runs and three RBI. Chavez Young added three hits, going 3/5 with a double, an RBI and a run. Kevin Smith drove in three runs, going 1/3 while Kacy Clemens was 1/3 with a double, two walks and three runs. Ryan Noda waked twice, going 0/3 with an RBI and a run.
Yennsy Diaz was utterly dominant in his season debut, going 5 2/3 innings, needing just 81 pitches, and striking out 10 batters with only one hit allowed and no walks. Andy Ravel finished the sixth while Maximo Castillo (in a tune up before he starts later in the rotation) struck out three batters (with one of them getting on via a wild pitch). Donnie Sellers tossed an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts while Kyle Weatherly finished the game, retiring all three batters he faced on two ground outs and a pop out.
W: Yennsy Diaz (1-0)
Player of the Game
Jay Blue: Yennsy Diaz
Wesley James: Yennsy Diaz
Jay’s Jay of the Day
Yennsy Diaz
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