Jesús Sánchez has 2-run homer to give Blue Jays a 4-2 win over Guardians

TORONTO (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run home run to take the lead, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three hits, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 on Sunday.

Guerrero led off the sixth inning with a double and Sánchez followed with his 355-foot blast to right field. It was Sánchez's fourth homer of the season and second of the series, which the Blue Jays won two games to one.

It was Toronto’s second straight series victory after dropping its previous six.

Blue Jays left-hander Patrick Corbin allowed two runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Braydon Fisher (1-0) worked out of a bases-loaded jam to finish the fifth and completed 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Tyler Rogers handled the seventh. Jeff Hoffman, who was recently moved out of the closer role, pitched a scoreless eighth. Louis Varland earned his third save after working around a leadoff single in the ninth.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the first inning on Guerrero’s RBI single to left field. Toronto added another run on a sacrifice fly from Sánchez.

Cleveland tied it in the fifth after RBIs from Brayan Rocchio and Angel Martínez, who had two hits in the game.

Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi (0-4) allowed four runs and six hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Piñango, making his major league debut, recorded his first career MLB hit with a single in the fourth inning.

Cleveland: LHP Parker Messick (3-0, 1.76 ERA) is scheduled to start against Tampa Bay on Monday. LHP Steven Matz (3-1, 4.81) will start for the Rays.

Toronto: RHP Dylan Cease (1-0, 2.10 ERA) is scheduled to start against Boston on Monday. LHP Ranger Suárez (1-2, 4.00) will start for the Rex Sox.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Rhys Hoskins takes a throw from shortstop Juan Brito to put out Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho in third-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) throws to a Toronto Blue Jays batter in the first inning of a baseball game, in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits an RBI single against the Cleveland Guardians in first-inning baseball game action in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto gets doused by teammates after their 5-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians in a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Patrick Corbin (46) throws to a Cleveland Guardians batter in first inning of a baseball game, in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” in writings sent to family members minutes before an attack that authorities increasingly believe was politically motivated, according to a message reviewed by The Associated Press.

The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, made repeated references to President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions, including U.S. strikes on boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Investigators are treating the writings, along with a trail of social media posts and interviews with family members, as some of the clearest evidence yet of the suspect’s mindset and possible motives.

Authorities uncovered what one law enforcement official described as numerous anti-Trump social media posts linked to the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man accused of trying to breach a security checkpoint at the dinner while armed with multiple guns and knives.

Allen’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, according to the law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The New London Police Department said in a statement it was contacted at 10:49 p.m., about two hours after the shooting, by an individual who wanted to share information related to it. The police department said it then immediately notified federal law enforcement.

Allen’s sister, who lives in Maryland, told investigators her brother had legally purchased several weapons from a California gun store and kept them at their parents’ home in Torrance without their knowledge, according to the official. She described her brother as prone to making radical statements, the official said.

The writings examined by AP ran more than 1,000 words and read as a rambling, deeply personal message, opening almost jarringly with a casual “hello everybody!” before shifting into apologies to family members and co-workers, and even strangers he feared could be caught in the violence. The note moved between confession, grievance and farewell, with Allen thanking people in his life even as he sought to explain the attack.

Elsewhere, he veered between political anger, religious justifications and rebuttals to imagined critics. He also made a taunting critique of security at the Washington Hilton, mocking what he described as lax precautions and expressing surprise he was able to enter the hotel armed without detection.

AP limits the use of attackers' writings and social media posts to avoid amplifying their views or encouraging copycat actions. The AP chooses to summarize their words and focus mainly on the victims and investigations.

Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later, according to the law enforcement official and another one who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Allen is believed to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then onto Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest days earlier at the hotel days earlier where the gala dinner was held with its typically tight security, said acting attorney general Todd Blanche. He is believed to have acted alone and is set to face criminal charges on Monday.

Allen attempted to charge toward the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a violent scene that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.

“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.

A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.

The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.

The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.

“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.

After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.

Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.

“It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the White House late Saturday.

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Members of the U.S. Secret Service counter assault team stand on the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)