Andy Burns lifts Blue Jays over Phillies 8-7 in Grapefruit League

CLEARWATER, Fla. — First baseman Andy Burns hit a controversial tie-breaking RBI double in the ninth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays held on for an 8-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday in Grapefruit League action.

Burns went 2-for-2 and drove in the one run after replacing Justin Smoak.

Slow-motion replays on TV showed that Burns’s ball may have actually gone over the left-centre wall and bounced back into play, rather than just ricochet off the fence.

Third baseman Eric Sogard scored from second on the play after the Blue Jays (8-6) had coughed up a 7-2 lead they had established thanks to a five-run third inning.

Starter Matt Shoemaker pitched three innings for Toronto, giving up two hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts.

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Dylan Cozens and Mitch Walding both hit solo homers in the sixth inning as Philadelphia (8-6) cut into Toronto’s early lead.

Bryce Harper drew a pair of five-pitch walks in his first spring training appearance since signing a record contract with Philadelphia.

The six-time All-Star outfielder signed a $330 million, 13-year contract last week, the largest deal in baseball history.

Batting third as the designated hitter against the Blue Jays, Harper took four straight pitches after a mighty swing and miss in the first inning. Rhys Hoskins followed with a mammoth two-run homer off Shoemaker.

The Canadian Press