Cleveland Guardians Defeat Toronto Blue Jays 8-6 as Max Scherzer Struggles Early
The Cleveland Guardians secured an 8-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, April 24, 2026, at Rogers Centre, capitalizing on a rough outing by Blue Jays ace Max Scherzer. The Guardians jumped out to a five-run lead in the first inning and held on despite a late rally by Toronto.
Angel Martínez delivered a standout performance, hitting two home runs for his first career multi-homer game. He capped the Guardians’ five-run first inning with his fourth home run of the season and added a solo shot in the third inning off Scherzer. Martínez finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, marking his second four-RBI game of the season.
Daniel Schneemann also contributed significantly, hitting the first leadoff home run of his career in the opening inning. His solo shot set the tone early as Cleveland chased Scherzer from the game after just 2⅓ innings.
Max Scherzer struggled mightily in his start, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks while failing to record an out in the third inning before being lifted. He absorbed the loss, dropping to 1-3 on the season, as his ERA ballooned to 9.64. It marked the third time in five starts this season that Scherzer failed to complete three innings.
For Toronto, Jesús Sánchez and Kazuma Okamoto each hit solo home runs off Guardians starter Gavin Williams. Sánchez connected in the first inning for his third homer of the year, while Okamoto launched a 430-foot drive into the second deck in center field in the second inning for his fourth.
Williams earned the win for Cleveland, improving to 4-1 after six innings of work in which he allowed six runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and Cade Smith combined for the final three innings, with Smith recording his sixth save in eight opportunities.
The Blue Jays suffered an early setback when outfielder Nathan Lukes left the game after sliding into second base in the first inning due to left hamstring discomfort. He was replaced by pinch-runner Davis Schneider, who remained in the game in left field.
A sellout crowd of 41,671 fans attended the series opener at Rogers Centre, witnessing Cleveland take a 1-0 lead in the three-game set.