Rookie Brandon Valenzuela delivered a memorable moment Friday night, blasting his first career home run to cap a five-run fourth inning and help the Toronto Blue Jays rally from a four-run deficit to defeat the Minnesota Twins 10-4 at Rogers Centre.
The 25-year-old catcher launched a two-run shot to right field off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson in just his 10th career at-bat. The home run followed a hard-hit RBI single from Andres Gimenez that scored Davis Schneider and cut Minnesota’s lead to 4-3.
Valenzuela’s homer proved to be the turning point in the game as Toronto surged ahead and never looked back.
The victory lifted the Blue Jays to a 6-7 record and marked their second straight win after a frustrating six-game losing streak. The Twins, who entered the game riding a four-game winning streak, fell to 7-7 before a crowd of 40,721 fans at Rogers Centre.
Toronto’s offense stayed hot after the fourth inning. Daulton Varsho added a solo home run in the fifth inning, while Ernie Clement doubled in the sixth to bring home Schneider. Clement later crossed the plate on a George Springer double to left field as the Blue Jays extended their lead.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. paced the lineup with three hits and an RBI, while Schneider finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs as Toronto produced a 14-hit offensive performance.
Veteran left-hander Patrick Corbin made his Blue Jays debut, pitching four innings. The 36-year-old allowed four runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one, while also hitting two batters.
Minnesota’s early offense came from catcher Ryan Jeffers, who had a standout performance at the plate. Jeffers went 3-for-3 and launched a three-run homer into the left-field seats in the first inning for his first home run of the 2026 season. He reached base a fourth time after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning.
Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson, who was traded by Toronto five years ago in the deal that brought pitcher José Berríos to the Blue Jays, pitched four innings. He allowed five runs on six hits while recording two strikeouts and issuing one walk.
Toronto’s bullpen sealed the comeback victory. Relievers Tommy Nance, Joe Mantiply, Louis Varland and Braydon Fisher combined for five scoreless innings while striking out nine batters.
The key moment of the game came in the fourth inning when Valenzuela’s two-out, two-run homer gave the Blue Jays their first lead and energized the home crowd.
Minnesota continues to face a steady diet of left-handed pitchers this season. Corbin became the eighth left-handed starter the Twins have faced in just 14 games, and the team has now lost five of those matchups.
The series continues Saturday as Toronto sends left-hander Eric Lauer (1-1) to the mound against Minnesota’s Joe Ryan (1-1).
