Victorious Blue Jays swat 3 home runs against Pirates in pre-season opener

Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi threw two scoreless innings as Toronto opened its Grapefruit League schedule with a 9-7 win over the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon in Bradenton, Fla.

Kikuchi, who struggled as a starter last season before moving to the bullpen, struck out five of the six batters he faced. The left-hander allowed one hit and threw 20 of his 33 pitches for strikes.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Santiago Espinal and Addison Barger homered for the Blue Jays.

Rodolfo Castro went deep for the Pirates.

Toronto outhit Pittsburgh 13-7.