Springer, Guerrero Jr. lead way as Blue Jays outlast Cardinals in wild season opener

George Springer had five hits and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in three runs as the visiting Toronto Blue Jays beat St. Louis 10-9 on Thursday despite the Cardinals' Tyler O'Neill tying a major league record by homering on opening day for the fourth straight season.

Springer was five for six with five singles in the fourth five-hit game of his big league career to go along with a six-game game for Houston at Oakland in May 2018. Springer combined with Baltimore's Adley Rutschman to become the first pair of players with five hits each on opening day since at least 1901.

Bo Bichette had four hits and Matt Chapman three for the Blue Jays, who outhit the Cardinals 19-15 and set a team record for hits in an opener.

Toronto won its fourth straight opener by overcoming a 9-8 deficit in the ninth against Ryan Helsley (0-1). Springer tied the score with an RBI single and Guerrero followed with a sacrifice fly.

O'Neill's two-run homer in the third off Alek Manoah cut the Cardinals' deficit to 4-3. O'Neill matched the mark for consecutive openers with home runs shared by the New York Yankees' Yogi Berra (1955-58), Montreal's Gary Carter (1977-80) amd the New York Mets' Todd Hundley (1994-97).