Jesus Sanchez hit his first career grand slam to key a six-run sixth inning Tuesday night as the host Toronto Blue Jays defeated his former team, the Miami Marlins, 8-1.
Ernie Clement and Yohendrick Pinango also homered for the Blue Jays, who have split the first two of a three-game series with the Marlins.
Toronto’s George Springer had three hits and an RBI and was hit by a pitch.
The Blue Jays had lost their two previous games before snapping the Marlins’ four-game winning streak on Tuesday.
Clement led off the second inning with his second homer in as many games on a first-pitch fastball from Sandy Alcantara (3-4), extending his hitting streak to nine games.
Toronto doubled the lead in the third. Daulton Varsho singled with one out and stopped at third on a double off the left field wall by Sanchez. Kazuma Okamoto followed with an RBI single that was deflected into left field by third baseman Javier Sanoja.
Miami scored once in the fifth against Spencer Miles (2-0), who entered the game after opener Braydon Fisher threw one shutout inning.
Jakob Marsee singled to left, took third on a stolen base and a throwing error and scored on Heriberto Hernandez’s infield hit to shortstop.
Alcantara worked around two hit batters in the bottom of the inning.
Miles allowed one run, three hits and one walk while striking out three in 4 1/3 innings.
Pinango led off the sixth with a line-drive home run to center. Brandon Valenzuela singled with two outs, and Lenyn Sosa was hit by a pitch. Springer lined an RBI single off shortstop Otto Lopez’s glove.
Varsho walked to load the bases, and Sanchez smoked a first-pitch fastball to right for his grand slam. Before departing, Alcantara hit Okamoto with a pitch, a career-high fourth hit batter of the game, none by fastballs.
Alcantara allowed eight runs on 10 hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. missed his second straight game after being hit by a pitch on the right elbow on Sunday.
