TORONTO (AP) — Daulton Varsho hit his second career grand slam, Yariel Rodríguez struck out six over 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Saturday.
Rodríguez allowed one run, four hits and two walks. The right-hander signed a five-year deal with Toronto in the offseason after pitching in Japan in 2022.
“We really couldn’t ask for much more,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He was pretty electric.”
Rodríguez was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo before the game. He started in place of right-hander Bowden Francis (1-2), who came on in relief of his new teammate and allowed two runs and three hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Tim Mayza and Chad Green each pitched one inning and Yimi Garcia struck out the side in the ninth for his first save.
“He’s got some really, really nasty stuff going right now,” Schneider said of Garcia. “That was a nice way to close the door.”