Springer, Biggio and Guerrero Jr. hit home runs in season-opening win over Rays

George Springer, Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered Thursday to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a season-opening 8-2 road victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Alejandro Kirk and Bo Bichette drove in two runs apiece for the Blue Jays, who scored five times in the sixth inning after being limited to one hit — Springer's solo homer in the fourth — off Rays starter Zach Eflin (0-1) through five innings.

Jose Berrios (1-0), making his second opening-day start for the Blue Jays and fourth overall, gave up a leadoff homer to Yandy Diaz on his fifth pitch of the day and also yielded a RBI double to the defending AL batting champion in the sixth.

Eflin, who won 16 games in 2023 after signing a $40 million US, three-year contract in free agency, allowed six runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in his first career opening-day start. The first three hits off him were homers, including Guerrero's 450-foot shot to centre that gave Toronto a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

Dead. Center. <br>FOUR. FIFTY.<br>Big. Boy. Blast.<br><br>Say it with us: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PLAKATA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PLAKATA</a>