Blue Jays' comeback bid falls short in defeat to Red Sox on Canada Day

As Bo Bichette rounded third base the sold-out Rogers Centre crowd rose to its feet, cheering for what could have be the perfect ending to a come-from-behind Toronto Blue Jays victory on Canada Day.

But Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo fired a laser beam from right field, gunning down Bichette at home plate as Boston fended off a late Blue Jays rally for a 7-6 win on Saturday. Bichette said he didn't see any stop signs on the play.

"I knew the situation. For us to score a run I need to be aggressive and get there," said Bichette. "But also I knew that the ball was hit to their best thrower.

From Verdugo's vantage point, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hard-hit double actually made it easier to field. Because it was obvious that George Springer would score from third, all Verdugo had to do was deal with the tying run that Bichette represented.

"Vladdy hit it hard. On the turf, the ball is skipping, so you know you're going to get it quicker," said Verdugo. "I didn't think [Bichette] was going to go."

DO. NOT. RUN. ON. DUGIE. <a href="https://t.co/efHf19a9In">pic.twitter.com/efHf19a9In</a>

Rafael Devers had an early two-run homer and later added an RBI single as Boston (42-42) improved to 6-0 against Toronto this season. Justin Turner had a home run and an RBI double and Masataka Yoshida also drove in a run.

The Blue Jays fell to 7-19 against American League East teams in 2023, even though they have a winning record against every other division in Major League Baseball.

"It sucks. It sucks losing. It's obviously six in a row against them," said Toronto manager John Schneider. "You know that, we know that, they know that.

"It's baseball. I was proud of the way that we fought back."

Kutter Crawford (3-4) held Toronto to two runs on