TORONTO — José Soriano’s attempt to join Dave Stieb in franchise lore was horribly spoiled by the Detroit Tigers’ seventh-inning rally on Monday.

Fresh off twirling a seven-inning, two-run performance his last time out against the Athletics, Soriano was sensational through the first half of his eighth start as a Blue Jay. The 27-year-old delivered a pitching clinic early on, retiring the first 16 batters he faced before a walk from Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry — on a pitch that, had an ABS challenge been used, would’ve overturned the call and kept the at-bat alive — broke up the right-hander’s perfect-game bid.

Still, after Soriano retired the next two batters to end the top of the sixth inning, he hadn’t allowed a hit on 69 pitches. Not only that, but just two balls had left the infield at that point: a pair of flyouts. Everything else was either a ground-ball out, a lineout back to Soriano or one of his five strikeouts on the night.

This outing was shaping up to be Toronto’s best no-hit bid since the pair that Dylan Cease recorded in July — one in San Francisco before the All-Star break and the other a complete game, one-hitter in Boston. In the end, though, it wound up being yet another close call.

It all went for naught as Soriano fell victim to the third-time-through penalty against Detroit’s lineup.

Gleyber Torres’ leadoff single in the top of the seventh snapped Soriano’s no-hitter, prompting a standing ovation from the 42,000-plus home crowd. That meant Stieb’s record was safe once again, as he remains the only pitcher in these parts to have ever carried a no-hit bid across the finish line.

It wasn’t the most painful no-hitter this franchise has lost, and those have certainly been plentiful across its 50 seasons. However, Torres’ single marked the first of five hits in the inning, sparking a four-run rally for Detroit — all of which were charged to Soriano, who departed after 6.1 innings.

This was another reminder of how quickly an inning can snowball. Just like that, Soriano was on the hook for a loss, one he definitely didn’t deserve. Fortunately, Kazuma Okamoto made sure that wouldn’t be the case, cranking his 33rd home run of the season in the bottom half of the seventh, now the most by a Japanese-born right-handed hitter in a single campaign.

With Okamoto’s massive swing, his fifth homer in the last seven games, the Blue Jays had a chance to salvage a much-needed 76th victory on the year, which, with the Cleveland Guardians already having lost, would’ve given them possession of the third AL wild-card seed again as a virtue of owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Toronto’s bullpen, however, couldn’t lock this one down — a rarity for manager John Schneider.

The club’s skipper called upon his favourite weapon, closer Louis Varland, for a five-out save with two runners on and only one out in the top of the eighth. But a bloop, 66.8-m.p.h. single from Brett Callahan pushed a run across — charged to lefty Joe Mantiply — to supply another momentum swing, which this game wasn’t short on.

Varland ended the threat one batter later, but not before the Tigers could tie the game at 5-5. Then, upon returning for the ninth, they eventually took the lead soon after Varland dropped a throw from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. while running to cover first base, earning him just his second blown save of 2026.

Sometimes, that’s life as a closer, even for one of baseball’s best. Saves aren’t always automatic.

Regardless of this disappointing outcome, it’s important not to overlook that, until the very end, this was Soriano’s best start as a Blue Jay yet. It simply required a more inspiring ending — as did Monday’s devastating 6-5 loss to the Tigers.

Had Toronto’s offence been able to provide a bit more margin for error earlier on in the night, when they had the bases loaded in both the second and third innings but failed to add to their two-run advantage, perhaps this would’ve ended with a different outcome.

Instead, the Blue Jays let another winnable game slip away here, dropping them back to one game below .500. With only 11 remaining, they can’t afford to waste any more over these final two weeks.

Some baseball traditions never get old. The Perfect 9 Collection is our newest limited-edition collaboration with Blue Jays Today, inspired by the viral 9/9/9 challenge that has become a staple of baseball culture. Whether you’re taking on the challenge or just enjoying a day at the ballpark, this collection celebrates the moments that make baseball unforgettable. Featuring premium Levelwear apparel with elevated fabrics and modern fits, it’s designed for fans who live and breathe the game—on game day and beyond. Limited edition. Premium quality. Built for baseball fans. Shop the Perfect 9 Collection while it lasts. Exclusively at nationgear.ca