Pederson, Lukes Home Runs Lift Rangers Past Blue Jays 3-2

Power Surge in the Late Innings

Pederson and Lukes each hit home runs to help the Texas Rangers secure a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Rangers, who were the away team, took advantage of key moments to complete a four-game sweep of the slumping Blue Jays.

Pederson opened the scoring in the first inning with a 388-foot home run to right field, giving Texas a 1-0 lead. The Rangers extended their advantage in the sixth inning when Díaz singled to center field, allowing Nimmo to score and making it 2-0. Lopez moved to second base and Duran to third on the play.

Toronto attempted a comeback in the eighth inning. Lukes hit a 404-foot home run to right field, driving in Springer to tie the game at 2-2. The Blue Jays seemed to have taken the lead in the ninth inning, but a wild pitch by Texas reliever Louis Varland allowed Kelenic to score, restoring the Rangers' lead at 3-2. The same scoring play is listed twice in the official records, but the final score remained 3-2.

Pitching Performances

Kumar Rocker started for the Rangers and pitched six innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs while striking out five batters and walking one. Cole Winn earned the win, pitching two innings and allowing two earned runs on two hits while striking out two batters. Tyler Alexander recorded the save, pitching one hitless inning with one strikeout.

Shane Bieber started for the Blue Jays and pitched five and one-third innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out four batters and walking four. Adam Macko pitched one and one-third innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out one batters and walking two. Jeff Hoffman pitched one and one-third innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out two batters. Louis Varland took the loss, pitching one inning and allowing one earned run on one hit while striking out three batters.

Final Score and Records

The final score was Texas Rangers 3, Toronto Blue Jays 2. The game was played on Sunday, June 28, 2026, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, with an attendance of 40,898. There were exactly two home runs in the game.

The Texas Rangers improved their record to 42-42. The Toronto Blue Jays fell to 39-45. The Rangers' victory completes a four-game sweep of the Blue Jays.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815942