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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays complete comeback victory over Reds to begin final series of 2026
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Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Sep 26, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 26, 2026, 00:59 EDT
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What a way to win the final Friday game of the 2026 season.
On Friday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays began their final series of the season, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 in comeback fashion. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
The Blue Jays actually opened the scoring in this one. After a scoreless top of the first, Charles McAdoo led off the first inning with a double. That brought up Alejandro Kirk, who also hit a double, cashing in McAdoo to make it 1-0. On a 2-0 count with two outs, Kazuma Okamoto drove in another run, also thanks to a double.
It quickly went sideways for José Soriano, though. In the top of the second, he gave up a solo blast to Eugenio Suárez, but got out of the inning without giving up a second run. He wasn’t so fortunate in the third inning, as Elly De La Cruz hit a two-RBI double to give the Reds the lead. Sal Stewart hit an RBI single to make it 4-2, then Héctor Rodríguez hit into a ground out that scored the Reds’ fifth run.
The score remained that way through the middle of the game, but the Jays started a rally in the seventh. With the first two runners getting on, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single to move the Jays to within two. Okamoto came up to the plate again, hitting his second double of the game to tie it at five, then Nathan Lukes hit an RBI single to give the Jays a 6-5 lead.
Neither team scored the remainder of the way, and the Blue Jays picked up a victory to kick off their final series of the season.

Takeaways….

It’s hard to fault Ross Atkins for the failed season. He brought in four main pieces this past off-season, Kazuma Okamoto, Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, and Spencer Miles. Both Okamoto and Rogers had strong games, with the former driving three runs thanks to a pair of doubles. Okamoto has been their best hitter this season.
Rogers has been crucial to the one thing the Blue Jays have excelled at this season, pitching in high-leverage. On Friday, he fired a scoreless inning to bring his season ERA to 1.77 while picking up his 33rd hold of the season.
The rest of their bullpen did well too. Brendan Cellucci struck out three over two scoreless innings, Chad Dallas threw one and one-third innings, striking out three. Mason Fluharty pitched a clean two thirds of an inning, and Louis Varland pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts for his 35th save in 37 opportunities.
José Soriano hasn’t had the greatest success since joining the Blue Jays, and that continued on Friday. Over three innings of work, he surrendered five earned runs, another tough outing for the right-handed pitcher.
Okamoto was one of four players who had a two-hit game, as Charles McAdoo and Nathan Lukes went 2-3 and Myles Straw went 2-2. Both McAdoo and Lukes hit a double, their fourth and 26th respectively. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk also had a hit, with the latter walking twice as well.
The Blue Jays will have a chance to finish their season with a series win, as the middle game has a 3:07 PM ET start time on Saturday. Trey Yesavage is the Blue Jays’ expected starter.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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