Kazuma Okamoto leads Blue Jays past Royals 4-3 to pull into tie for last AL wild card

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kazuma Okamoto had four hits and two RBIs, including a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning, as the surging Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Saturday night to pull even with Cleveland for the final American League playoff spot.

Toronto (72-71) won for the seventh time in eight games and moved over .500 for the first time since the Blue Jays were 4-3 on April 3. The defending AL champions, who were 10 games under .500 on July 28, are tied with the Guardians for the league's third wild card.

Okamoto went 4 for 5 with a double and broke a 3-all tie in the seventh with an RBI single. In the third inning, Okamoto hit an RBI double that hit third base over a diving Josh Rojas and rolled into the left-field corner.

Nathan Lukes had three hits for Toronto, including an RBI single that made it 2-0 in the first. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored the first run of the game from first base when Alejandro Kirk reached on a two-out infield single and Rojas committed a throwing error.

Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and five hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Mason Fluharty (6-1) worked a hitless inning in relief and Louis Varland got three outs for his 33rd save.

Seth Lugo allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings for Kansas City. Craig Kimbrel (1-3) took the loss.

John Rave hit a solo homer for the Royals that tied it 3-all in the fourth. Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez each had an RBI single in the first to pull Kansas City even at 2.

Caglianone exited in the third with left elbow soreness.

The Royals had runners at first and second with no outs down 4-3 in the eighth, but couldn’t capitalize when Vinnie Pasquantino grounded into a double play and Michael Massy grounded out.

Kansas City is 18-8 in its last 26 games at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals RHP Randy Dobnak (2-3, 2.65 ERA) will pitch the series finale Sunday. Toronto had not announced a scheduled starter.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a single by Kazuma Okamoto during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto watches his RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. beats the tag at home by Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen to score on a single by Alejandro Kirk during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Toronto Blue Jays' Andres Gimenez, left, and Kazuma Okamoto celebrate after their baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as volcanic ash drifted across parts of western Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands had showed signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday. The agency’s closed-circuit camera showed lava flares at the mountain.

There were no casualties reported and no evacuation order issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles). But the agency warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the volcano’s active crater.

Volcanic ash spread across parts of the capital Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.

“Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.,” the airport said in a travel advisory early Sunday.

Passengers at the country’s busiest airport sought refunds and reclaimed checked baggage as departure boards displayed a growing list of canceled flights.

Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it was closely monitoring the eruption's impact on air travel and coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency. It said 170 aircraft parked overnight at Soekarno-Hatta remained on airport aprons.

The closure had affected 209 flight movements and about 22,800 passengers on Sunday, including the busy domestic route to Makassar in South Sulawesi, while Singapore was the international destination with the highest number of disrupted flights.

Other international flight disruptions including cancellations, delays and rescheduled services involved Hong Kong, Sydney and Amsterdam, as well as Seoul, South Korea, Doha, Qatar, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Domestic flights to Lampung, Bali and Surabaya also were canceled or diverted.

“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F. Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.

He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.

Authorities urged travelers to check with airlines for the latest flight information and advised passengers temporarily avoid the airport unless necessary.

Indonesia's volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery.

One plume rose to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) while drifting northeast, affecting parts of Jakarta, Banten, West Java and surrounding waters.

A second cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters) and was moving westward and northwestward, covering parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.

Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Kratakau,” is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.

The eruption caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java. Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.

The volcano has been rated at second highest alert status on a scale of four since has remained in place since then. Scientists said Anak Krakatau island is now only about a quarter of its original size.

Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan and Dita Alangkara in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

Travelers walk past an information board showing disrupted flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Travelers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Travelers walk past an information board showing disrupted flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Travelers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)