TORONTO — Jordan Westburg delivered a career-defining performance, hitting two solo home runs and finishing with four hits, as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 on March 29, 2025, at Rogers Centre. The victory moved the Orioles to a 2-1 record, placing them second in the American League East, while the Blue Jays fell to 1-2, fifth in the division.
Westburg’s first homer came in the opening inning off Toronto starter Max Scherzer, a 434-foot shot with two outs. He added a 402-foot blast in the seventh off reliever Chad Green, marking his first multi-homer game in the majors. Colton Cowser also went deep in the first, launching a 417-foot homer on Scherzer’s second pitch of the game. Ramón Urías provided a pivotal three-run double in the fourth, helping Baltimore erase a 4-2 deficit and take control.
Dean Kremer earned the win for Baltimore, improving to 1-0 despite allowing five runs over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked two, settling down after a rocky start that saw Toronto’s Andrés Giménez hit a two-run homer in the third. Kremer’s effort was backed by a bullpen that included Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez, and Félix Bautista, who closed out the game with a scoreless ninth, striking out three.
Toronto’s Scherzer, making his Blue Jays debut, lasted just three innings before exiting with right lat soreness. The three-time Cy Young Award winner surrendered two runs on three hits, including the early homers to Cowser and Westburg, throwing 45 pitches. Richard Lovelady took the loss (0-1) after relieving Scherzer, giving up four runs in the fourth as Baltimore’s offense erupted.
The Orioles finished with 12 hits, with Bo Bichette leading Toronto’s effort, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and a walk. Giménez’s homer accounted for two of the Blue Jays’ five runs, but the team struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-14.
Baltimore’s fourth-inning rally proved decisive. After Lovelady hit two batters and allowed a double to O’Hearn, Gary Sánchez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Urías cleared the bases with his double to right. The Orioles added two more runs in the fifth on singles from Westburg and Mullins, plus a sacrifice fly from Heston Kjerstad.
Toronto mounted an early lead, scoring twice in the third on Giménez’s homer and adding two more in the fourth on RBI singles from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander. However, the Blue Jays couldn’t sustain the momentum, leaving eight runners on base.
The game, played indoors with the Rogers Centre roof closed due to 68-degree weather, drew 27,005 fans and lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes. Umpires Ryan Additon (home plate), Ryan Wills (first base), Lance Barksdale (second base), and Will Little (third base) officiated.
For Baltimore, the win showcased offensive depth and resilience, with contributions from nine different players. Westburg’s 4-for-5 day boosted his batting average to .462 and his OPS to 1.654 through three games. Toronto, meanwhile, saw strong individual efforts from Bichette and Giménez but couldn’t overcome Baltimore’s timely hitting and bullpen strength.
