Blue Jays' Kikuchi throws 7-inning gem, striking out 8 for 1st win in 5 starts

George Springer hit his 11th home run of the season and had a sacrifice fly to lead the Toronto Blue Jays past the visiting Oakland Athletics 12-1 on Sunday.

Cavan Biggio added a late three-run homer in the five-run eighth inning as Toronto (43-36) earned two wins in the three-game set with the Athletics. Santiago Espinal had a two-run double, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette each had an RBI single as the Blue Jays racked up 11 hits.

Starter Yusei Kikuchi (7-2) was superb, striking out eight and limiting the Athletics to just two hits and a run over seven innings for his first victory of the month.

Relievers Trent Thornton and Bowden Francis kept Oakland scoreless the rest of the way.

Tony Kemp's solo shot in the sixth was all the offence the lowly Athletics (20-60) could muster.

Luis Medina (1-7) allowed four runs — three earned — over five innings on four hits and seven walks, striking out four. Ken Waldichuk and Yacksel Rios coughed up eight runs between them.

Springer led off the game with a 392-foot bomb to centre-field. It was the 55th leadoff home run of his career, the second most in Major League Baseball history surpassing Alfonso Soriano's 54. Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson is the all-time leader with 81.

Leading off in style