Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto, of Japan, rounds first base after hitting a single, scoring teammate Brett Bateman, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

By The Canadian Press

Playoff hopeful Blue Jays avoid series sweep with 7-2 win over AL West-leading Texas

Sep 20, 2026 | 3:48 PM

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Toronto leadoff hitter Brett Bateman reached base and scored three times, twice knocked in by Nathan Lukes, and the Blue Jays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep in the matchup of playoff hopefuls.

Bateman walked twice against Texas starter Jacob deGrom (11-10), scoring on a sacrifice fly by Lukes in the first and a go-ahead RBI single by Kazuma Okamota in the fifth. Bateman had a leadoff double to ignite a four-run seventh, scoring on a single by Lukes.

With six games remaining, the Rangers (78-78) kept a one-game lead in the AL West after Houston (77-79) lost 4-2 at home to NL East champion Atlanta. The Astros own the division tiebreaker.

Toronto (77-79) had the same record as the Astros, and both were 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the third and final wild card.

Spencer Arrighetti (9-9), the second of seven Blue Jays pitchers, got the win despite giving up the only Texas runs over his two innings.

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DeGrom, who has been dealing with mild groin tightness, left with the bases loaded in the fifth and the Rangers down 3-2. Left-handed reliever Robert Garcia induced an inning-ending double-play grounder on his first pitch.

DeGrom allowed five hits, walked four and hit another batter. The two-time Cy Young Award winner’s two strikeouts put his season total at 196, just short of his fifth career 200-strikeout season.

Lukes had a single and scored on Sean Keys’ double in the third for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead. Texas got even on Jake Burger’s 27th homer, a two-run shot in the fourth that went 398 feet and deflected off Bateman’s extended glove when he leaped at the wall in center field.

Up next

Toronto opens a three-game series in Baltimore on Monday night. The Rangers have a day off before opening their final home series Tuesday night against the New York Mets.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Playoff hopeful Blue Jays avoid series sweep with 7-2 win over AL West-leading Texas

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