Seager hits solo HR, Burger has 3 hits and 2 RBIs as Rangers beat Blue Jays 7-4

TORONTO (AP) — Corey Seager hit a solo home run, Jake Burger had three hits and drove in two runs and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 on Saturday.

Alejandro Osuna added a two-run hit as the Rangers won for the sixth time in their past nine.

Seager connected off Braydon Fisher in the sixth, his 10th. Texas has homered in a season-high 10 straight games.

Peyton Gray (3-0) got seven outs for the win and Tyler Alexander finished for his third save in four chances.

Yohendrick Piñango hit a two-run homer and Alejandro Kirk added a solo shot but the Blue Jays lost their fifth straight.

Toronto’s 2-3-4 hitters, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho and Kazuma Okamoto, went 0 for 13 with seven strikeouts.

Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease (4-4) allowed four runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked five and struck out 10.

Cease has won just once in seven starts.

Burger opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the first, and the Rangers added five more two-out runs in the fifth. After Burger chased Cease with an RBI single, Osuna and Elias Díaz each had two-RBI hits off Mason Fluharty.

Piñango homered off Robby Ahlstrom in the bottom of the fifth, his fifth. Kirk homered off Joe Ross to begin the sixth, his second. Andrés Giménez chased Ross with an RBI single.

Rangers right-hander Cal Quantrill allowed two hits, both singles, in four shutout innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford was scratched from the lineup because of left hamstring tightness. Osuna started in center.

Piñango was recalled from Triple-A while Davis Schneider was optioned to the Bisons. Outfielder Jesús Sánchez (right ankle) went on the 10-day IL.

Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker (2-6, 4.14 ERA) is scheduled to face Blue Jays RHP Shane Bieber (0-0, 9.82) in Sunday’s series finale.

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Gavin McKenna, first round pick for the Toronto Maple Leafs and first overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft, arrives to throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to the baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers, in Toronto, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Nathan Denette /The Canadian Press via AP)

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (21) hits a single during fifth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, in Toronto, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease (84) reacts after allowing three walks during first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, in Toronto, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Nathan Denette /The Canadian Press via AP)

Texas Rangers' Corey Seager (5) celebrates after his solo home run with teammate Brandon Nimmo, second from left, during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Texas Rangers' Corey Seager hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

No more ties.

From here on out, the World Cup knockout rounds mean only one team will emerge as the victor and advance to the next round, while the other heads home.

Single-elimination play begins on Sunday when Canada faces South Africa in Inglewood, California, in the first of 16 matches after the field of 48 was trimmed to 32 with the completion of group-stage matches late Saturday night.

The Canada-South Africa match features a little bit of history.

Both teams will be making their first appearances in a World Cup knockout match. Both finished second in their respective groups with identical 1-1-1 records over three matches.

They will have the stage to themselves as the only match of the day. Three more matches are scheduled for Monday: Brazil-Japan, Germany-Paraguay and Netherlands-Morocco.

“Every moment matters,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said of the single-elimination match. “And certainly when you get to the knockout phase the ability to have full concentration on the task at hand, to understand the opponent and tilt things in our favor is very important. And the discipline, to make sure you don't get yourself in trouble with cards or bad penalties.”

That said, Marsch wants his team to open the game aggressive, unlike its 2-1 loss to Switzerland in group play.

“We are clear on the qualities (South Africa) has, and we are very clear on what to expect,” Marsch said. “And this is also a moment where we want to be at our best.”

— South Africa vs. Canada, 3 p.m. EDT in Los Angeles (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

Marsch said team captain and star left back Alphonso Davies will make his 2026 World Cup debut on Sunday.

Davies has not played in a match since early May due to a hamstring injury he sustained playing for Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal.

“We talked about from a physical perspective getting stronger as the tournament went on and now that we have Alphonso back and ready to perform it is a big moment for the team and a big boost for the team,” Marsch said.

Marsch told reporters he expected Davies to play in the team's group-stage finale against Switzerland in Vancouver, but that turned out just to be gamesmanship. He had no plans to play Davies.

Davies had asked to bring a personal trainer to join him at the World Cup and Marsch agreed. He has been working on the side with the trainer during recent practices.

Davies said there has been “open communication” between himself, the trainer and the team during the rehab process and he feels ready to go.

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Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku had a goal and assist with just five touches against New Zealand, the first player with two goal involvements with as few as five touches since at least 1966, according to Opta.

AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Canada's Jonathan Osorio, left, and Alphonso Davies, right, participate in a World Cup soccer training session in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Voyageurs parade toward B.C. Place ahead of Canada's World Cup Group B soccer match against Qatar, in Vancouver, on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Timothy Matwey/The Canadian Press via AP)

South African soccer fan Mama Joy cheers ahead of the World Cup Group A soccer match between South Africa and South Korea in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Canada's Alphonso Davies participates in a World Cup soccer training session in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)