Springer, Corbin play big roles for Jays in beating Pirates’ ace Skenes

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays won a season-high fourth in a row on Saturday by taking down Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Ignited by George Springer’s 65th career leadoff homer, the Blue Jays (25-27) knocked out Skenes (6-4) after five innings on their way to a 5-2 win before 41,813 at Rogers Centre.

The home side touched the 23-year-old hard-throwing righty for four runs on nine hits and a walk. They also limited Skenes to just two strikeouts, his fewest since only one in the Pirates (26-26) season opener on March 26.

“It was pretty relentless,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of his team’s afternoon at the plate. “It’s not easy to rack up nine hits off him and keep the strikeouts down.

“A pitcher like him, you know, he pivots a little bit. You saw more change-ups, splitters, sweepers, so it’s tough enough to cover everything. But I like the way we came out early and tried to be aggressive on his fastball. Then, I thought we grinded him all day, which is what you have to do.”

Springer’s opening-game 396-foot blast down the left-field line was a 97.7 miles per hour fastball on an 0-2 count. He now only trails Rickey Henderson’s 81 on the all-time MLB leadoff home run list.

“He does his homework in that first at-bat of the game in terms of what’s probably coming,” Schneider said. “He missed the first two and didn’t miss the third one. He’s trending in the right direction.”

The veteran designated hitter also extended his hit streak to six games, adding a double in the fifth. He has hit .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, three homers, five RBIs and two walks during his streak.

Springer missed 15 games in April with a fractured toe. But until this heater, he has been unable to match his standout 2025 season. His recent streak was the result of extra work with Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins.

“The layoff obviously hurts anyone in terms of timing,” Schneider said. “But I think he’s more athletic in the box, just using his legs a little more. That’s where you see the power come with George, and that’s what he was so good at last year.

“It was something that he and (Popkins) had picked up on.”

Another significant development for the Blue Jays in beating Skenes was a strong outing from veteran starter Patrick Corbin (2-1).

The lefty went a season-high six innings, limiting the Pirates to a run on five hits with seven strikeouts. Corbin revealed he picked up on the aggressive nature early in the count from the young Pittsburgh order.

As a result, Corbin did his best to stay ahead in the count, throwing a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 23 batters he faced. His 84-pitch effort also saw him retire 14 batters in a row from the second inning to two outs in the sixth.

“Obviously, (Skenes) is one of the game’s best,” Corbin said. “When you go up against a guy like him, you know it’s going to be low scoring. I just wanted to keep the game close, and I was able to do that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2026.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press