Blue Jays outlast Indians in 16

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — The Toronto Blue Jays are determined to have a special season.

They opened it by making history.

J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer in the 16th inning to send the Blue Jays, who rallied to force extras with a three-run ninth, to a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday in the longest opening-day game ever in the major leagues.

A game that seemed so routine for several hours wound up extraordinary.

“I guess it’s pretty cool now,” said Arencibia, who wasn’t thrilled at catching all 16 innings. “I’m glad to be on the winning end.”

Arencibia was 0 for 6 with three strikeouts before he connected off Indians reliever Jairo Asencio.

The marathon eclipsed the previous longest openers — 15 innings between Cleveland and Detroit on April 19, 1960, and 15 innings between Philadelphia and Washington on April 13, 1926.

According to STATS LLC, the Indians-Blue Jays opener was the longest of 1,360 opening-day games played since 1901.

“If you’re going to break records you might as well do it on opening day,” said Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez, who was able to show some humor after allowing the Blue Jays to come back from a 4-1 deficit in the ninth. “No position player wants to be out there for 16 innings on opening day. I feel terrible.

“Everybody did their job today except me.”

Luis Perez, Toronto’s seventh pitcher, worked four scoreless innings for the win and Sergio Santos got two outs to end the 5-hour, 14-minute game.

Jose Bautista homered and hit a sacrifice fly for Toronto, which did next to nothing for eight innings against Cleveland starter Justin Masterson before storming back in the ninth.

Jack Hannahan hit a three-run homer in the second to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead against Ricky Romero. But the Indians didn’t score again, blanked for 14 innings by Toronto’s pitchers to disappoint a sellout crowd of 43,190 that thinned to just a few thousand die-hards by the end.

An opener that began in clear skies and bright sunshine ended just after twilight as the sun disappeared over the Lake Erie horizon.

This one had a little of everything: strong pitching, bad pitching, blown chances, emptied benches and bullpens, a soon-to-be 45-year-old infielder playing the outfield and, of course, a spot in baseball annals.

“I guess we got in the record books,” said Masterson. “That’s something. Who started it? That’s a trivia question.”

Masterson allowed just two hits and struck out 10 in eight dominant innings. But the Blue Jays, who believe they can hang with Boston, New York and Tampa Bay in the brutal AL East, rallied in the ninth off Perez and gave manager John Farrell reason to think this season could be wild.

“If tonight is any kind of insight into this season, strap in,” Farrell said. “We’re in for a long ride.”

In the 16th, moments after the team’s had rewritten the history books, Asencio walked Brett Lawrie and Omar Vizquel reached on a fielder’s choice before Arencibia, who hit 23 homers as a rookie last season, drove a pitch onto the pedestrian plaza in left.

He was lucky it ever got there.

After taking a ball, Arencibia thought third-base coach Brian Butterfield had given him the bunt sign and he popped his attempt foul.

“For some reason, I thought I got the bunt sign,” Arencibia said. “That got me in two strikes. Then I was just trying to hit the ball. I happened to hit it hard and got it out of the park.”

Arencibia was unaware of his gaffe until he got back into the dugout, where Farrell told him what he had done.

“He high-fived me and said, ‘Great job, you missed a sign,’” Arencibia said, laughing.

The Indians squandered a potential game-winning situation in the 12th.

They loaded the bases on two walks and a single before Farrell brought 44-year-old shortstop Vizquel off the bench as a fifth infielder. The strategy worked when Asdrubal Cabrera swung at Perez’s first pitch and bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Toronto trailed 4-1 going into the ninth after being stopped by Masterson.

But the Blue Jays rallied for three runs off Perez, who missed most of spring training with a strained side muscle and looked awful.

He gave up two singles to start the inning before Bautista’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2. Kelly Johnson took second on the play, and after Adam Lind walked, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run double to tie it at 4.

Perez got an out, but walked Eric Thames and was pulled by manager Manny Acta before hanging his head as he walked dejectedly to the dugout amid loud boos.

“I don’t think I was too pumped up,” Perez said. “I was rushing, definitely, especially when stuff started getting sticky.”

Perez’s meltdown cost Masterson a win he deserved.

The right-hander won 12 games last season, but pitched better than his record. Acta chose him to open the season, picking him in spring training over Ubaldo Jimenez, who may be the staff’s ace but hasn’t lived up to expectations since he was acquired in a July trade form Colorado.

Masterson set an early tone, striking out the side in the first. He retired the side in order four times, and except for giving up Bautista’s homer, was never in serious trouble.

Hannahan’s third career opening-day homer gave the Indians a 4-0 lead.

Hours later, Hannahan didn’t know the game had reached historic proportions.

“It felt really long,” he said, “and a little chilly, too.”

TIGERS 3, RED SOX 2

DETROIT — Austin Jackson hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers overcame a blown save by Jose Valverde to beat the Boston Red Sox.

AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander was dominant for eight innings and left with a 2-0 lead. But Valverde (1-0) blew a save for the first time in 52 chances, a streak that included 49 in a row last season.

Boston manager Bobby Valentine lost in his return to the major leagues after replacing Terry Francona following the team’s 7-20 September slide that cost the Red Sox a playoff spot.

With one out in the Tigers ninth, Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila singled off Mark Melancon (0-1), and Ramon Santiago was hit by a pitch from Alfredo Aceves. Jackson followed with a sharp grounder past diving third baseman Nick Punto.

Prince Fielder singled his first time up for the AL Central champions and added a sacrifice fly. Verlander gave up two hits, walked one and struck out seven.

Dodgers top Padres

SAN DIEGO — With Magic Johnson and Frank McCourt watching from next to the dugout, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 even though reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw left after three innings with the flu.

Former Lakers great Johnson, part of a group buying the Dodgers for $2.15 billion from McCourt, had a big smile after Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer in the eighth, giving him three RBIs. Johnson and McCourt sat next to each other and chatted throughout the game.

Kershaw left after limiting the Padres to two hits through three innings. He struck out three, walked one and singled off newcomer Edinson Volquez in the third for the Dodgers’ first hit of the season.

Josh Lindblom pitched two perfect innings in relief of Kershaw for the win. Javy Guerra pitched the ninth for the save.

Volquez, Cincinnati’s opening-day starter a year ago, struck out five through three scoreless innings and singled off Kershaw in the third for the Padres’ first hit. He then allowed two runs on four walks, including three in a row, and two singles in the fourth. Volquez went five, allowing three runs, two earned, and three hits. He struck out seven and walked four to take the loss.

PHILLIES 1, PIRATES 0

PITTSBURGH — Roy Halladay was nearly flawless for eight innings and Philadelphia showed off its pitching from the start in a season-opening win over Pittsburgh.

Halladay, a two-time Cy Young winner, gave up just two first-inning singles while striking out five without a walk. Carlos Ruiz had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his first National League save.

The Phillies start this season as the favorites to win their sixth straight NL East title.

Pittsburgh starter Erik Bedard nearly kept pace with Halladay, giving up only one run in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.

NATIONALS 2, CUBS 1

CHICAGO — Stephen Strasburg frustrated Chicago for seven innings before Ian Desmond singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth to give Washington the win.

Strasburg allowed one run and five hits, including an RBI single to Marlon Byrd in the fourth. He was lifted in the eighth and Kerry Wood forced in the tying run with three walks.

Washington went ahead in the ninth when Chad Tracy hit a two-out double off the right-field wall against Carlos Marmol, and Desmond followed with his third hit.

METS 1, BRAVES 0

NEW YORK — Johan Santana pitched five innings of two-hit ball in his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery and David Wright hit an RBI single to lead New York over Atlanta.

New York’s revamped bullpen picked up for Santana and shut down the Braves, who fielded an opening-day lineup without Chipper Jones for the first time since 1996. Atlanta was punchless at the plate, managing only four hits.

REDS 4, MARLINS 0

CINCINNATI — Jay Bruce homered and drove in a pair of runs, and Johnny Cueto dominated in his first opening-day start, leading Cincinnati over Miami.

Cueto anchored the Reds’ first opening-day shutout since 1980, when Frank Pastore beat Atlanta’s Phil Niekro 9-0. The right-hander allowed only three hits over seven innings, and a depleted bullpen finished it off.