Toronto (Canada) (AFP) - The Tampa Bay Rays' record-equalling winning start to the season came to an abrupt end on Friday with a 6-3 defeat on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A day after clinching their 13th straight victory to equal the record unbeaten start to the season in modern baseball history, the Rays were brought back to earth at the Rogers Centre.
Toronto star George Springer handed the Blue Jays the early initiative, blasting a solo home run to left center field in the first inning off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen.
Bo Bichette then doubled in the second inning to score Kevin Kiermaier for a 2-0 Toronto lead.
Tampa Bay got on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Luke Raley's single sent Brandon Lowe home to make it 2-1.
But Toronto blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth after a rocky start to the inning from Rasmussen allowed the Blue Jays to load the bases with just one out.
Rays skipper Kevin Cash had seen enough and pulled Rasmussen, looking to reliever Colin Poche to somehow navigate the jam.
However Poche struggled to find his command, and walked both Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal to give Toronto a 4-1 lead.
A blunder by Brandon Lowe then turned what should have been an innings-ending double play into two more runs for Toronto, the Rays shortstop fumbling at second base to allow Kirk and Daulton Varsho to score for a 6-1 lead.
Tampa Bay flirted with a rally in the seventh inning when Josh Lowe and Christian Bethancourt blasted back-to-back solo home runs to make it 6-3, but Toronto held on over the closing innings to condemn the Rays to a first defeat of the season.
