<p>It&#8217;s time to check in with a few old friends. </p>
<p>Almost everything went wrong for the Toronto Blue Jays during Thursday&#8217;s 12-2 opening-day loss to the Baltimore Orioles. They were out-hit, out-homered and outplayed in Game 1 of 162. But it was a much more promising start to the 2025 season for a few of their former players.</p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s break down how they fared with their respective clubs.</p>
<h2>Teoscar Hernández</h2>
<p>Of course, we have to start here with old friend Teoscar Hernández.</p>
<p>The former Blue Jays slugger only recorded one hit in four at-bats versus the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, but he made the most of his lone trip around the bases, crushing a 410-foot three-run shot off reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. It came with two outs in the fifth inning, exploding off his barrel at 108.3 m.p.h.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="es" dir="ltr">Teoscar Hernández crushes a three-run homer for the lead! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpeningDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OpeningDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/vWksLaZ7A7">pic.twitter.com/vWksLaZ7A7</a></p>
<p>&mdash; MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1905419101213700311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Hernández&#8217;s first home run of &#8217;25 propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-2 lead, one they wouldn&#8217;t surrender, despite a late comeback effort from the Tigers, whose offence trimmed its deficit to just one run entering the ninth.</p>
<p>The 32-year-old outfielder grounded out in two other plate appearances, one of which produced a 99.3 m.p.h. exit velocity. He also added a strikeout and is now 2-for-12 on the season through three games, with the Dodgers playing the first two against the Chicago Cubs earlier this month as part of MLB&#8217;s Japan Series.</p>
<p>Over the off-season, Hernández returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $66-million contract that includes salary deferrals and a club option for the 2028 season.</p>
<h2>Yusei Kikuchi</h2>
<p>If Kikuchi could travel back in time, he&#8217;d probably jump at the chance to redo his second inning of work against the Chicago White Sox.</p>
<p>The 33-year-old southpaw &#8212; who signed a three-year, $63-million contract with the franchise this past winter &#8212; was tremendous in all but one of the six frames in his Opening Day start. He punched out two of the first three batters he faced in the bottom half of the first, successfully working around Luis Robert Jr.&#8217;s one-out double.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yusei Kikuchi struck out two batters in a scoreless inning to kick off his Angels tenure. </p>
<p>Both came on nasty sliders, including this one to Andrew Benintendi. <a href="https://t.co/nepKUZH8ZF">pic.twitter.com/nepKUZH8ZF</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Brent Maguire (@bmags94) <a href="https://twitter.com/bmags94/status/1905357568803045407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>All the damage that Kikuchi surrendered came in the second, though, as the White Sox&#8217;s lineup tagged him for three runs (all earned) on four hits. But he didn&#8217;t allow a single baserunner to reach from that point onward.</p>
<p>Chicago sent 12 hitters to the plate over the next four innings, and the Angels&#8217; lefty sent each one back to the dugout &#8212; three via punchout. He kept his team in the game despite his second-inning woes, trailing by just three as he departed after throwing 87 pitches. Naturally, though, the bullpen acted as the final nail in the coffin, imploding for five runs in the eighth.</p>
<p>Kikuchi received the loss in his Angels debut, but there were still many positives to take from his start with Los Angeles.</p>
<h2>Kevin Pillar</h2>
<p>For most of last season, Pillar was certain the 2024 campaign would be his final in professional baseball. But after having a change of heart over the winter, the 36-year-old decided to return for his 13th major league season &#8212; and he proved Thursday that he&#8217;s still got it.</p>
<p>Pillar, starting in centre field for the Texas Rangers, went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run batted in, which came in his first of two at-bats against Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to Texas, <a href="https://twitter.com/KPILLAR4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KPILLAR4</a>! <a href="https://t.co/V3k7trzOP4">pic.twitter.com/V3k7trzOP4</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Texas Rangers (@Rangers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rangers/status/1905358873940074700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The longtime Blue Jays outfielder watched a 96.3 m.p.h. fastball from Crochet hit the outside corner for a called strike to begin the at-bat. But he unleashed on the next pitch, shooting a second straight heater into centre for a base hit, scoring Jake Burger from second base as the game&#8217;s opening run.</p>
<p>Pillar was lifted in the bottom of the ninth for pinch hitter Joc Pederson, who lined out to centre against right-hander Justin Slaten.</p>
<h2>Vinny Capra</h2>
<p>We now may be starting to understand what the Blue Jays saw in Capra all those years ago.</p>
<p>Coming off a stellar spring, where he hit six home runs and 14 RBIs with an eye-popping .292/.358/.729 in 19 games, the 28-year-old carried his red-hot bat into Thursday&#8217;s opener at Yankee Stadium, opening the scoring for the Milwaukee Brewers with a third-inning solo blast off left-hander Carlos Rodón.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vinny Capra goes yard to get the Brewers on the board! <a href="https://t.co/xX9LlxgnOz">pic.twitter.com/xX9LlxgnOz</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1905345991999627596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>That was Capra&#8217;s lone hit versus the Bronx Bombers, as he finished the afternoon with a strikeout and groundout. However, he made quite the impression in his first career Opening Day start.</p>
<h2>Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Otto Lopez</h2>
<p>The focus of Thursday&#8217;s Pirates-Marlins opener was the heavyweight pitching showdown between Paul Skenes &#8212; the reigning NL Rookie of the Year winner &#8212; and Sandy Alcantara, who was making his return after missing all of  &#8217;24 due to Tommy John surgery.</p>
<p>And that matchup certainly didn&#8217;t disappoint.</p>
<p>But that contest also featured a pair of former Blue Jays infielders &#8212; Kiner-Falefa and Lopez. The first of those two went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored, while the second went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a run scored, serving as the tying run in the bottom of the eighth and setting the stage for Kyle Stowers&#8217; walk-off single in the ninth.</p>
<p>Ryan Borcki also made a brief cameo, striking out the lone batter he faced in the sixth.</p>

It's time to check in with a few old friends. 

Almost everything went wrong for the Toronto Blue Jays during Thursday's 12-2 opening-day loss to the Baltimore Orioles. They were out-hit, out-homered and outplayed in Game 1 of 162. But it was a much more promising start to the 2025 season for a few of their former players.

So, let's break down how they fared with their respective clubs.
<h2>Teoscar Hernández</h2>
Of course, we have to start here with old friend Teoscar Hernández.

The former Blue Jays slugger only recorded one hit in four at-bats versus the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, but he made the most of his lone trip around the bases, crushing a 410-foot three-run shot off reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. It came with two outs in the fifth inning, exploding off his barrel at 108.3 m.p.h.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1905419101213700311

Hernández's first home run of '25 propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-2 lead, one they wouldn't surrender, despite a late comeback effort from the Tigers, whose offence trimmed its deficit to just one run entering the ninth.

The 32-year-old outfielder grounded out in two other plate appearances, one of which produced a 99.3 m.p.h. exit velocity. He also added a strikeout and is now 2-for-12 on the season through three games, with the Dodgers playing the first two against the Chicago Cubs earlier this month as part of MLB's Japan Series.

Over the off-season, Hernández returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $66-million contract that includes salary deferrals and a club option for the 2028 season.
<h2>Yusei Kikuchi</h2>
If Kikuchi could travel back in time, he'd probably jump at the chance to redo his second inning of work against the Chicago White Sox.

The 33-year-old southpaw -- who signed a three-year, $63-million contract with the franchise this past winter -- was tremendous in all but one of the six frames in his Opening Day start. He punched out two of the first three batters he faced in the bottom half of the first, successfully working around Luis Robert Jr.'s one-out double.

https://twitter.com/bmags94/status/1905357568803045407

All the damage that Kikuchi surrendered came in the second, though, as the White Sox's lineup tagged him for three runs (all earned) on four hits. But he didn't allow a single baserunner to reach from that point onward.

Chicago sent 12 hitters to the plate over the next four innings, and the Angels' lefty sent each one back to the dugout -- three via punchout. He kept his team in the game despite his second-inning woes, trailing by just three as he departed after throwing 87 pitches. Naturally, though, the bullpen acted as the final nail in the coffin, imploding for five runs in the eighth.

Kikuchi received the loss in his Angels debut, but there were still many positives to take from his start with Los Angeles.
<h2>Kevin Pillar</h2>
For most of last season, Pillar was certain the 2024 campaign would be his final in professional baseball. But after having a change of heart over the winter, the 36-year-old decided to return for his 13th major league season -- and he proved Thursday that he's still got it.

Pillar, starting in centre field for the Texas Rangers, went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run batted in, which came in his first of two at-bats against Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.

https://twitter.com/Rangers/status/1905358873940074700

The longtime Blue Jays outfielder watched a 96.3 m.p.h. fastball from Crochet hit the outside corner for a called strike to begin the at-bat. But he unleashed on the next pitch, shooting a second straight heater into centre for a base hit, scoring Jake Burger from second base as the game's opening run.

Pillar was lifted in the bottom of the ninth for pinch hitter Joc Pederson, who lined out to centre against right-hander Justin Slaten.
<h2>Vinny Capra</h2>
We now may be starting to understand what the Blue Jays saw in Capra all those years ago.

Coming off a stellar spring, where he hit six home runs and 14 RBIs with an eye-popping .292/.358/.729 in 19 games, the 28-year-old carried his red-hot bat into Thursday's opener at Yankee Stadium, opening the scoring for the Milwaukee Brewers with a third-inning solo blast off left-hander Carlos Rodón.

https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1905345991999627596

That was Capra's lone hit versus the Bronx Bombers, as he finished the afternoon with a strikeout and groundout. However, he made quite the impression in his first career Opening Day start.
<h2>Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Otto Lopez</h2>
The focus of Thursday's Pirates-Marlins opener was the heavyweight pitching showdown between Paul Skenes -- the reigning NL Rookie of the Year winner -- and Sandy Alcantara, who was making his return after missing all of  '24 due to Tommy John surgery.

And that matchup certainly didn't disappoint.

But that contest also featured a pair of former Blue Jays infielders -- Kiner-Falefa and Lopez. The first of those two went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored, while the second went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a run scored, serving as the tying run in the bottom of the eighth and setting the stage for Kyle Stowers' walk-off single in the ninth.

Ryan Borcki also made a brief cameo, striking out the lone batter he faced in the sixth.

Exploring how a few former Blue Jays fared on Opening Day 2025

Blue Jays’ Yimi García to miss rest of 2025, undergoing clean-up procedure

Blue Jays 15th round pick Jake Casey is off to a scorching start

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.

Recent articles from Thomas Hall

Breaking News