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Instant Reaction: Kazuma Okamoto’s home run helps Blue Jays claim series win over Marlins
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
May 27, 2026, 17:29 EDTUpdated: May 27, 2026, 17:30 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays won their second straight series after defeating the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
After falling during Monday night’s series opener against the Miami Marlins, the Blue Jays rallied for two straight wins to improve their season record to 27-29 through 56 games, good for third place in the American League East.
Kazuma Okamoto had the biggest swing of the game, a welcoming sign after working through a prolonged slump over recent weeks. After getting ahead in the count 1-0, Okamoto slammed a changeup off Andrew Nardi into the Marlins’ bullpen, giving the Blue Jays their first lead of the afternoon, and a lead that would hold up in the series finale.
The home run was Okamoto’s first since May 5 and raised his team’s leading tally to 11 home runs on the year. The 29-year-old has fallen on tough times throughout most of the month. Since May 12, Okamoto has gone 6-for-48 –.125 average – with one home run and three RBIs, a stretch that has seen Okamoto’s average dip down to .218. 
If Okamoto can find a happy medium between his highs and lows, the Blue Jays’ offence will only continue to improve when the reinforcements arrive off the injured list. Both Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger are working their way back to full health and can help deepen the Blue Jays lineup as the summer months loom.
Kevin Gausman gutted through his five innings on Wednesday afternoon, requiring 95 pitches to battle against a pesky Marlins lineup. Gausman finished with a pitching line of 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, allowing eight base runners but was able to induce two key double plays to limit the Marlins offence.
Gausman is the perfect example of how to turn in strong starts even when you don’t have your “A” stuff. The Marlins had 23 foul balls on Wednesday, which helped drive up Gausman’s pitch count, but the 14-year MLB veteran countered with big pitches at the right time. The Marlins’ only run of the game came all the way back in the first inning. Leadoff batter Xavier Edwards won a 10-pitch battle with Gausman, doubling to open the game before scoring on a one-out single by Otto Lopez.
For the season, the right-hander has turned in a record of 4-3, an ERA of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.09. Gausman, even when he’s not at his best, is capable of giving the Blue Jays a chance to claim a win, an element that hasn’t gone unnoticed during the 35-year-old’s time in Toronto. 
Eury Pérez dazzled over four shutout frames for the Marlins, striking out nine Blue Jays, all while allowing only three hits, but it was his exit that changed the course of Wednesday’s contest. While the Marlins were batting in the top of the fifth, Pérez injured himself, suffering right hamstring spasms, forcing him to be removed in what was tracking to be one of his most dominant outings of 2026.
Michael Petersen entered to open the bottom of the fifth, and the Blue Jays’ lineup finally struck. After getting the first two batters of the inning, Tyler Heineman worked a 10-pitch walk, flipping the Blue Jays’ lineup to bring up Nathan Lukes. Lukes continued swinging the hot bat he’s had since returning from the IL, driving a changeup to the right center field gap to tie the game. Since returning from the IL, Lukes has tallied four hits over two games to help raise his average to .283. 
Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman earned the win on Wednesday after tossing 1 1/3 shutout frames, lowering his ERA to 4.81 on the year. The outing was Hoffman’s fifth straight shutout appearance, a stretch where the 33-year-old has looked the best he has all season. 
Manager John Schneider turned to closer Louis Varland in the eighth inning during the matinee affair as the Marlins were set to bring up their 3-4-5 hitters. Lopez and Kyle Stowers opened the inning with singles, setting the table for Jakob Marsee. 
Marsee bounced the second pitch of the at-bat back to Varland, but the right-hander made a poor throw to Andrés Giménez, allowing the Marlins to keep their hopes alive. The next batter, Connor Norby, struck out looking, and Heineman threw down to Ernie Clement to finish off the strikeout-throwout double play, picking up Varland’s poor throw, and saving the reliever who has turned in a 0.31 ERA to open 2026.
After Varland required 16 pitches to get through the eighth, Tyler Rogers was summoned with a one-run lead to begin the top of the ninth. Rogers needed only seven pitches to breeze through the ninth, picking up his second save of the season, and a strong bounce-back performance after Monday night’s three earned runs over 2/3 innings. 
The Blue Jays will head to Baltimore to begin a four-game series with the Orioles starting on Thursday. Patrick Corbin gets the ball for Toronto, while the Orioles will counter with former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt. 
Corbin is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, while Bassitt has pitched to a 4-3 record with a 5.51 ERA. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m EST at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. 

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