TORONTO — Rookie reliever Tyler Schweitzer was pleasantly surprised to look up at the scoreboard to see the official scorer had credited him with his first career win after Schweitzer pitched three scoreless innings to close the Sox’ 12-4 blowout win Friday.
“I was thinking I was going to get the save,” a beaming Schweitzer said. It was left to the scorer’s discretion because starter Anthony Kay only went four innings. “I was like, ‘Oh, let’s go!’ First one.’ ”
The Indianapolis native notched his first career save in unorthodox fashion last month with four impressive innings that sealed a win in Baltimore.
“Really impressive stuff,” manager Will Venable said. “To get the coverage is one thing, but to get the quality is another thing, and he puts those together.”
What’s the next box Schweitzer (2.77 ERA in 13 innings) wants to check? “Honestly, just keep winning and hopefully pop some bottles.”
Blanked by Bieber, Blue Jays
Sox bats fell silent Saturday against Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber, who struck out six and walked two in six strong scoreless innings to outduel Davis Martin in a 1-0 loss.
Martin gave up a run, four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5⅔ innings, with a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. double and an RBI single from George Springer making the difference.
“I’ve had a few this year where it’s just been a lot of fun, [versus Chris] Sale, some other guys where you know when they’re on and they have their ‘A’ stuff, you have to bring your ‘A’ stuff,” said Martin (9-5, 3.31 ERA). “Today I was just one step behind him.”
The Sox mustered four hits, including a double each for Miguel Vargas, Braden Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami, who fell a few feet shy of his first homer in a month and a half.
Kay leaves a mark
Kay plunked his way into the Sox’ record book with his 18th hit batter of the season Friday, surpassing the previous high of 17 batsmen beaned by Sale in 2016.
Kay has more than two months left on the calendar to leave some more marks, but “I’m not trying to hit anyone, obviously,” Kay said after his no-decision.
“It’s usually hitting ’em in the foot or something like that,” he said. “We pitch a lot inside, and it just happens.”
The Sox have been on both sides of it this season between Kay and rookie left fielder Sam Antonacci, who has been hit by 18 pitches, second-most in MLB.
Seranthony’s return
Seranthony Dominguez got a quick sixth-inning out for the Sox on Friday in his first game at Rogers Centre since Game 7 of last season’s World Series, when he pitched a scoreless 10th inning for the Jays before they fell in the 11th to the Dodgers.
“We were so close to winning that,” said Dominguez, who sees some similarities between that Toronto clubhouse and the one he joined in Chicago on a two-year, $20 million deal. “The way that we play here, too, we’re so hungry to win. It’s the same way that I felt when I played there last year.”
Dominguez (3-3, 4.36 ERA) is working to regain manager Venable’s confidence in high-leverage situations after losing the Sox’ closer job.
Gonzalez’s greener pastures
Jacob Gonzalez was still helping the Sox a week after general manager Chris Getz dealt him and reliever Brandon Eisert to the Pirates in exchange for a Triple-A reliever and the draft pick the Sox used to take Landon Thome.
Gonzalez swatted a two-run homer on a 2-for-4 afternoon to power the Pirates past the Guardians 7-1 in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday, keeping the Sox a half-game up in the American League Central. Cleveland won the second game of their twin bill to pull even in the division.
Jacob Gonzalez’s first @Pirates homer is a 428-foot blast! pic.twitter.com/ujg9RkCgMF
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026
