TORONTO — Francisco Lindor had a pair of solo home runs and added a tie-breaking RBI single as the Cleveland Indians downed the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 on Thursday.
Cleveland removed its controversial Chief Wahoo logo for the series opener, taking the caricature of a First Nations man off the left sleeve of its jerseys and wearing hats with a red C on a navy blue field instead.
The team plans to stop using the logo entirely for the 2019 season.
Jason Kipnis added a late three-run bomb for Cleveland (80-60) to back starting pitcher Shane Bieber (9-3), who allowed four runs — three earned — and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Relievers Tyler Olson, Alan Cimber, Cody Allen and Dan Otero didn't allow a run the rest of the way.
Rookie Rowdy Tellez had three doubles and drove in a run in his second career game with Toronto (63-77). Teoscar Hernandez added an RBI double of his own.
Tellez, who made his Blue Jays debut as a pinch hitter on Wednesday night, became the first player to have an extra-base hit in his first three plate appearances since Major League Baseball's live-ball era began in 1920.
Sam Gaviglio (3-8) threw 4 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays, striking out four but giving up five runs on six hits. Jose Fernandez, Justin Shafer, Danny Barnes, David Paulino and Mark Leiter Jr., came out of the bullpen for Toronto.
Shafer allowed one unearned run in his inning of work, while Leiter gave up a three-run home run in the ninth.
Lindor led off the first inning with a home run over the centre-field wall on a 2-0 pitch from Gaviglio.
Three batters later, former Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion received a warm ovation from the 20,618 in attendance at Rogers Centre. Encarnacion left Toronto two years ago, signing with Cleveland in free agency.
Lindor struck again in the third inning, putting the ball just out of the reach of Blue Jays right-fielder Billy McKinney to make it 2-0. It was his 34th homer of the season. Both of Lindor's home runs came on sliders from Gaviglio.
Toronto took the lead in the fourth inning. Tellez hit his third double in as many major league at bats to drive in Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Hernandez then banged the ball off the wall in centre field to bring home Kendrys Morales and Tellez.
Aledmys Diaz followed that up two batters later, stroking a ball up the first-base line to score Hernandez and make it 4-2.
Cleveland came right back in the fifth when Brandon Guyer's double to left field brought home Yan Gomes. A broken-bat single by Lindor cashed in Greg Allen and Guyer to make it 5-4.
Allen added to that in the sixth inning, doubling in Encarnacion for a 6-4 Cleveland advantage.
Tellez doubled for the third time on the evening in the eighth inning, pushing Gurriel to third base but the Blue Jays were unable to take advantage of the two runners in scoring position.
Kipnis smashed a home run to right field off Leiter in the top of the ninth, bringing home Guyer and Lindor for the game's final score.
Notes: Raptors forward OG Anunoby threw out the opening pitch. ... Catcher Reese McGuire doubled in the ninth inning of his MLB debut for the Blue Jays. He is the 61st player to suit up Toronto this season, a franchise record.
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