TORONTO — Steven Souza got the Tampa Bay Rays started with a long home run, then sparked the go-ahead rally with a bunt.
Desmond Jennings drove in Souza with a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight win.
Souza, a graduate of Cascade High School, opened the scoring in the first inning with a drive off the facing of the third deck in center.
“I’ve seen a lot of baseball games here, and that has got to be the furthest ball I’ve ever seen hit,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash, whose playing career started with the Blue Jays.
The drive was measured at 463 feet. It was the longest home run for the Rays since Carlos Pena’s 466-foot shot against Washington on June 13, 2009.
“It’s fun when it goes like that,” Souza said. “Have you ever cut butter with a knife? That’s what it feels like.’
The drive came on the first pitch Souza saw from rookie left-hander Daniel Norris.
“He hit it about 700 feet,” Norris said with some exaggeration.
Souza needed less than 60 feet to make an impact with his next hit. With the score tied 2-2, Souza reached on a bunt single off Miguel Castro (0-1) leading off the eighth.
One out later, Souza stole second and advanced to third on catcher Russell Martin’s throwing error. Evan Longoria was intentionally walked before Jennings drove an 0-2 pitch to center, scoring Souza.
“Desmond’s at-bat, to me, was as crucial as they come,” Cash said. “When you fall behind on that type of stuff, it’s really tough to elevate a pitch.”
Steve Geltz (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings for his first major league win. Grant Balfour and Kevin Jepsen each pitched an inning of hitless relief, with Jepsen getting his first save this year.
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