TORONTO - Bobby Witt Jr. belted a three-run homer and veteran starter Michael Wacha pitched a three-hitter to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 9-3 win in the opener of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Witt's blow came off Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (7-8) and was the second of four homers for the visitors as the Royals (55-55) won their third straight.

The Blue Jays (64-47) were without George Springer for a fourth straight game. He was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Friday, retroactive to July 29.

The home team snatched the lead in the first inning with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s 16th, a 428-foot blast into the left-field seats.

But a two-run homer from Mike Yastrzemski in the second inning put the Royals up for good. Witt followed with his three-run homer in the third.

In his eight innings, the 34-year-old Wacha (5-9) allowed only two hits after the Guerrero homer with no walks and five strikeouts.

Gausman managed to last six innings despite the rough beginning. He surrendered his five runs on six hits and no walks with five strikeouts.

Daulton Varsho (hamstring) returned from his two-month stay on the sidelines to play centre. Designated hitter Ty France and reliever Louis Varland made their Blue Jays debuts.

France went 0-for-4, while Varland pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Varsho was 0-for-3.

Toronto reliever Mason Fluharty yielded a solo shot to Salvador Perez and a two-run homer by Adam Frazier in the Royals' four-run ninth.

Addison Barger countered a two-run shot in the bottom half of the inning.

TAKEAWAYS

Royals: Yastrzemski, acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, impressed his new teammates with a one-out two-run homer in his first at-bat.

Blue Jays: Alejandro Kirk (concussion) had a two-run single in three at-bats in a rehab assignment in triple-A Buffalo on Friday. He also picked off a runner at third base. Toronto expects to have him in the lineup on Sunday.

KEY MOMENT

Witt's three-run homer with none out in the third inning pushed the Royals to a four-run advantage.

KEY STAT

The Blue Jays slipped to 9-6 since the all-star break, having lost five of their last six games.

UP NEXT

Max Scherzer (1-1) will face Kansas City's Noah Cameron (5-4) on Saturday in the middle outing of the three-game series.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025.