{allcanada} Gausman in top form as Blue Jays top Pirates for third straight win

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TORONTO — Yohendrick Pinango and George Springer hit two-run doubles and starter Kevin Gausman pitched into the seventh inning as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 on Friday night.

After Springer scored Toronto’s first run in the third inning, Pinango drove in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho later in the frame.

That was enough support for Gausman (4-3), who settled in after giving up a run in the first inning. The veteran right-hander allowed six hits, one walk and had eight strikeouts.

Gausman was pulled with two outs in the seventh inning and Pittsburgh threatening with two runners in scoring position. Reliever Mason Fluharty needed one pitch to escape the jam as he got Oneil Cruz to fly out.

Pittsburgh put two more runners on in the eighth before Toronto manager John Schneider called on closer Louis Varland for a rare six-out performance. The Pirates scored on a fielder’s choice but left the potential tying run at third base when Jhostynxon Garcia grounded out.

Toronto tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Jesus Sanchez hit an RBI double and Springer drove in two runs with a ground-rule double.

A near-sellout crowd of 39,839 was on hand as Toronto (24-27) earned its third straight victory.

Bubba Chandler (1-6) absorbed the loss for the Pirates (26-25), who have dropped five of their last seven games.

TAKEAWAYS

Blue Jays: Toronto’s bats have been relatively quiet over the win streak. After recording a total of four runs and 15 hits over two victories in New York, the Blue Jays got another victory despite a five-hit showing against the Pirates.

Pirates: Pittsburgh came out hot as two of the first three batters reached base against Gausman. Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz hit a sacrifice fly to deep centre that brought home Brandon Lowe with the game’s first run.

KEY MOMENT

A Horwitz throwing error set up Toronto’s three-run third inning. The Pittsburgh first baseman’s throw to third base sailed high, allowing Springer to score and the other runners to move into scoring position.

KEY STAT

Pinango’s two-run double down the right-field line left the bat at a game-high velocity of 114.8 miles per hour.

COMING UP

Left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-1, 4.23 ERA) was scheduled to start for the Blue Jays on Saturday against right-hander Paul Skenes (6-3, 2.62).

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{allcanada} Toronto FC sign defender Gilman

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Toronto FC has signed Toronto FC II defender Jackson Gilman to a Major League Soccer (MLS) contract through the 2026 season with club options through the 2027-28 MLS season.

“We are pleased to elevate Jackson to the First Team,” said Toronto FC General Manager Jason Hernandez.

“Jackson has continued to grow in our environment, starting with his time earlier this year in preseason with the First Team, all the way through to his first MLS start this past weekend. His mentality, positional versatility, and desire to improve are all great characteristics we value at the club, and we look forward to the ongoing work together.”

Gilman, 22, joins Toronto FC after receiving four short-term agreements and made two appearances for the club (MLS regular season and Canadian Championship), including his MLS debut against Charlotte FC on May 16 as a starter.

The defender was invited to Toronto FC’s 2026 preseason training camp in Marbella, Spain before signing a professional contract with Toronto FC II on February 20, 2026. The Schwenksville, Pennsylvania native has recorded 540 minutes in six appearances (all starts) for TFC II during the MLS NEXT Pro regular season.

Gilman made his Young Reds debut and served as team captain in the season opener against Philadelphia Union II on February 28, 2026.

He was originally selected 36th overall (sixth pick, second round) by TFC in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft after spending four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, where he scored two goals and registered seven assists as a defender across 75 appearances (74 starts).

 

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{allcanada} Canada D Laryea embracing hometown spotlight ahead of World Cup opener

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Richie Laryea has played some big soccer games in his hometown of Toronto.

The next one will be by far the biggest.

The Toronto FC defender is expected to be part of Canada’s lineup when the nation begins its FIFA World Cup quest against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 12.

“It’s pretty surreal to see the World Cup here in our backyard, in Toronto, somewhere that I obviously know very well. I’ve grown up playing here,” he said.

“So to see all the signs, the billboards, the preparation for the World Cup get here, it’s kind of hard to pick a word to describe it exactly. But it is special. It’s definitely going to be probably up there with one of my best memories of my career.”

Laryea hasn’t played an MLS game since April 22 due to a thigh injury, but he’s expected to be fully fit in time for the World Cup.

The 31-year-old homegrown talent heads into the tournament on pace for a career-high season with two goals and two assists across nine games for Toronto.

Canada’s first match takes place at Toronto FC’s home stadium, BMO Field, which is being renamed Toronto Stadium for the World Cup.

It’s a familiar setting for Laryea, who said preparing for the game against Bosnia won’t be markedly different than getting ready for other matchups.

“I think you almost have to treat it like it’s an important match like some of the other ones that we’ve played at BMO Field and not make it bigger than what it actually is,” he said. ”So I think within the group we’re pretty good at doing that.

“And I think June 12 will evidently be a very big and special moment for our entire city. But within the group, I think what we’re trying to do is narrow it back down to us and just be composed for when the moment comes.”

Laryea has made 73 appearances for the national team, including 60 starts, and has already experienced one World Cup with Canada. He was part of the roster when the country made its return to the tournament in Qatar in 2022, ending a 36-year absence.

This year feels different, he said.

“I think we just gained experience from the 2022 World Cup,” he said. ”I think we showed ourselves really well, but the results didn’t reflect that. So now we have guys that have experience from the group stage games in Qatar that can now bring it here in 2026, which will be good.”

Sixteen cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico will host a total of 104 games across the expanded 48-team tournament between June 11 and July 19.

Toronto will stage six matches, while Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium — where Laryea briefly played as a member of the Whitecaps in 2023 — will host another seven, including Canada’s second and third group-stage bouts.

“I think this summer will be special,” said Laryea.

He also believes the World Cup will provide everlasting memories for some kids in Toronto — and he’s looking forward to being a part of them with Quaker Canada’s youth escort program.

The program is selecting about 300 young people from under-resourced communities to walk out onto the field alongside an athlete.

“I remember being a young player and looking up to national team players,” Laryea said. “So the fact that these players now get to walk out with us and experience the energy firsthand is going to be really powerful.”

ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS

He’s also teamed up with Lay’s Canada. Cartoon images of Laryea and his national squad teammate Nathan Saliba appear on bags of the brand’s latest Canadian-inspired flavour, bacon poutine.

The salty treat tastes exactly as described, Laryea said.

“I have poutine from time to time, it’s one of my cheat meals,” he said. ”So I did really enjoy the bacon poutine chips.”

The Lay’s campaign also features global soccer stars Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and David Beckham on flavours from around the world. There’s cheese soufflé from France, steak and chimichurri from Argentina and cheese and onion from the United Kingdom.

For Laryea, having his face on a chip bag is “pretty cool.”

“From the past, whether it’s Olympics or World Cups, the NBA, NFL, they usually do these things for the players that participate,” he said. “So being able to see my face on the bag is, I guess, a pretty special moment, especially being able to have family and friends in stores seeing them and sending me pictures. It’s pretty cool.”

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{allcanada} Mboko into singles final, Dabrowski advances to doubles final at Strasbourg

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STRASBOURG — Canadian teen tennis star Victoria Mboko will play for her third WTA Tour title after defeating Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 in Friday's semifinals at the Strasbourg International.

Mboko, the top seed in Strasbourg, clinched the win at the WTA 500 clay-court event with a third set in which she broke Cristian twice on three chances and saved both break points she faced.

"It was a battle," Mboko said. "(Cristian) made it really physical.

"She really pushed me to my limits today, and I feel like my finish got better today."

The dominant final set came after the 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., faced struggles early on.

Mboko came back from being down a break in the first set before convincingly taking the tiebreaker. Cristian took another early break in the second set, and this time she made it stand to force a decisive third set.

Mboko said she felt some pain in her arm when she got on the court, and she took a medical timeout in the second set.

"I really hate retiring from matches," she said. "Calling the physio, I was hoping they were going to put a cream on or do something really fast, but unfortunately, we had to go off the court.

"I wouldn't like it if my opponent did that, so I felt really bad, but I had to do it to try to continue the match."

Mboko will face Emma Navarro of the United States in Saturday's final before opening her second French Open with a first-round match against Czechia's Nikola Bartunkova.

Earlier, Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani advanced to the doubles final with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova and Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan.

Dabrowski and Stefani, the tournament's top seeds, won 70.6 per cent of first-serve points, compared to 52.5 for their opponents, and converted five breaks while conceding three.

Stefani and Dabrowski will face Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway and Quinn Gleason of the United States in Saturday's final as they seek their second title of the season.

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