TORONTO (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski homered in his first at-bat with Kansas City, Michael Wacha limited Toronto to a run in eight innings in his longest outing of the season and the Royals beat the Blue Jays 9-3 on Friday night.
Acquired from San Francisco just before the trade deadline Thursday, Yastrzemski had a two-run shot off Kevin Gausman (7-8) in the second inning to make it 2-1.
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Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho, left, is out as Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) makes a catch during fourth-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Kansas City Royals' Jonathan India hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays during third-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Wacha throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Atlanta Braves' Luke Williams, right, beats the tag by Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to steal second during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Wacha (5-9) allowed three hits and stuck out five, helping the Royals improve to .500 for the first time since June 20. He gave up one run for the fourth consecutive start.
Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Adam Frazier also homered for Kansas City.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two-out homer in the first inning to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. After Yastrzemski gave the Royals the lead in the second, and Witt's three-run homer made it 5-1 in the third.
Kansas City added four runs in the ninth. Perez and Frazier homered and Maikel Garcia had a bases-loaded single.
Addison Barger hit a two-run homer for Toronto in the ninth.
Yastrzemski wasted no time getting his first big hit for Kansas City, hitting the two-run homer in the second inning.
The Royals scored five or more runs for the eighth time in 13 games since the All-Star break.
Kansas City LHP Noah Cameron (5-4, 2.44 ERA) was set to start Saturday against Toronto RHP Max Scherzer (1-1, 4.89).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho, left, is out as Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) makes a catch during fourth-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Kansas City Royals' Jonathan India hits a double against the Toronto Blue Jays during third-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Kansas City Royals pitcher Michael Wacha throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Atlanta Braves' Luke Williams, right, beats the tag by Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to steal second during the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
BOSTON (AP) — Marat Khusnutdinov and Viktor Arvidsson scored in the first 3:45 of the game, and the Boston Bruins held on to beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Thursday night after raising Zdeno Chara's No. 33 to the rafters.
Mark Kastelic added a short-handed goal in the second period, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots for Boston, which swept a five-game homestand for the first time since 2019 and won for the seventh time in eight games. David Pastrnak scored an empty-netter with 15 seconds left after the Kraken picked up back-to-back penalties, then pulled the goalie to play five-on-four.
Chandler Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen scored, and Joey Daccord made 20 saves for the Kraken, who have lost four of their last five games.
The Bruins began the night by honoring Chara, the Hall of Fame defenseman who was the captain of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship team. Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and current Bruins president Cam Neely were among those who took part in the ceremony, which ended with Chara's children raising his number to the TD Garden rafters.
Khusnutdinov took a long pass from Charlie McAvoy, skated in on Daccord and slipped in a backhand to make it 1-0 54 seconds into the game. Less than three minutes later, Arvidsson tried to center the puck to Casey Mittelstadt, but it was deflected into the net by Seattle's Jordan Eberle.
The Kraken called an early timeout, leaving them without one when they might have needed it down two players in the final minute.
After Stephenson made it a one-goal game, Kastelic poked the puck away from Kraken forward Matty Beniers and skated in on Daccord for the short-handed goal that made it 3-1.
The Kraken visit Utah on Saturday.
The Bruins visit Chicago on Saturday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Boston Bruins' Viktor Arvidsson is congratulated at the bench after scoring against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman makes a save as defenseman Nikita Zadorov and Seattle Kraken's Frederick Gaudreau look for the rebound during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Boston Bruins' Mark Kastelic eyes a loose puck as he gets past Seattle Kraken's Matty Beniers during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Seattle Kraken's Chandler Stephenson deflects the puck past Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)