Major leagues:
Randal Grichuk led off the 10th with an RBI double, and the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of the second year of starting extra innings with a runner on second to beat the New York Yankees 3-2 Thursday in the major league opener.
Fans returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2019. Capacity was limited to 20% because of coronavirus protocols, and the attendance was announced as 10,850.
Jordan Romano (1-0) escaped trouble in the ninth with the help of third baseman Cavan Biggio. After pinch-runner Michael Tauchman stole two bases, he was thrown out at the plate by Biggio trying to score on a grounder by AL batting champion DJ LeMahieu. Romano then struck out Aaron Judge to strand two runners.
Detroit 3, Cleveland 2:Miguel Cabrera homered through the snow in his first at-bat of the season, then added a sparkling play at first base to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
Matthew Boyd (1-0) beat reigning Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, and the Tigers welcomed their fans back to Comerica Park with a victory. The temperature at game time was 32 degrees, and the snow was starting to pick up a bit when Cabrera connected for his 488th career homer.
National League
San Diego 8, Arizona 7: Eric Hosmer had a homer among his three hits and drove in three runs, newcomer Victor Caratini also had three RBIs and the San Diego Padres gave up four long balls in the fifth inning to blow a five-run lead before beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7 to open one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history.
Jake Cronenworth hit a leadoff triple in the seventh off Alex Young (0-1) and scored the go-ahead run on Jurickson Profar’s sacrifice fly.
Emilio Pagán (1-0) pitched one inning for the win and newcomer Mark Melancon breezed through a perfect ninth on seven pitches for the save.
St. Louis 11, Cincinnati 6: Paul Goldschmidt and newcomer Nolan Arenado combined for six hits in a boosted St. Louis lineup, and the Cardinals roughed up Luis Castillo for six runs in the first inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-6 in a chilly opener.
The Cardinals scored all their runs in the first four innings. Dylan Carlson hit a three-run homer and Tyler O’Neill connected for a two-run shot.
Colorado 8, L.A. Dodgers 5: On an afternoon Cody Bellinger had a homer negated due to a baserunning mistake, the Colorado Rockies played plenty of small ball to beat the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-5.
The Rockies scored runs courtesy of a squeeze play, two wild pitches, a groundout, an error and three RBI singles.
Reliever Chi Chi Gonzalez picked up the win in allowing three runs over two innings. Daniel Bard pitched a shaky ninth but got Mookie Betts to line out with the bases loaded to pick up the save as 20,570 fans were allowed into Coors Field.
Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 2: Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves, 3-2.
Interleague
Milwaukee 6, Minnesota 5: Lorenzo Cain scored the winning run in the 10th after Travis Shaw sparked a ninth-inning comeback and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5.