Dylan Cease pitches complete game, 1-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, leading Blue Jays to 6-0 win over Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have been the hottest team in Major League Baseball, winning 16 of their past 17 games entering Saturday. But they had no answer for Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease on Saturday.

The All-Star right-hander held the Red Sox to one hit with 12 strikeouts over nine innings in the Blue Jays' 6-0 win at Fenway Park. Cease took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing a leadoff double to Andruw Monasterio on a pitch far inside.

That was the only hit Cease allowed in 120 pitches, the most of his career. He finished off the win with three strikeouts in the ninth inning, the last two of which were upheld after ABS challenges by Brandon Valenzuela and Wilyer Abreu.

Cease likely would have lost his complete game had the third-strike call against Abreu been overturned as a ball after an eight-pitch battle. But the high, outside 78 mph changeup caught the corner of the strike zone against the left-handed batter.

Saturday's performance was the third time this season Cease has racked up 12 strikeouts. His career-high of 13 was reached in 2023 when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.

A deep fly ball down the left-field line from Red Sox catcher Connor Wong nearly ended Cease's shutout. The ball went over the Green Monster, but veered foul. Umpires ruled the drive a foul ball on the field and, after Red Sox manager Chad Tracy challenged the call, it was upheld on review.

With the shutout, Cease lowered his ERA to 2.46, the second-best in the American League behind the New York Yankees' Cam Schlittler (2.07) and fifth among MLB starting pitchers. He leads the majors in strikeouts with 167, on his way to his sixth consecutive season with more than 200 Ks.

Amusingly, Cease's effort began with MLB.com reporter Keegan Matheson noting that the right-hander was throwing with decreased velocity in the first inning. Yet by the third inning, that no longer appeared to be an issue as Cease was throwing 95 mph and above.

Blue Jays rough up Sonny Gray for 5 runs

Cease didn't need the run support, but the Toronto lineup jumped on Red Sox starter Sonny Gray for five runs in the third inning.

Gray retired the first two batters of the inning, but then gave up a double to Nathan Lukes. He got ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on an 0-2 count, but missed with his next three pitches before leaving an 88 mph cutter in the middle of the zone for an RBI single.

Kazuma Okamoto followed up with another single, off a pitch in the same part of the strike zone. But Gray looked like he might escape with only one run allowed after getting ahead of George Springer on another 0-2 count. But the Blue Jays' DH then reached for a low curveball on the outside corner and swatted it out for a 3-run homer.

Toronto wasn't done from there, as Gray gave up a single to Daulton Varsho and RBI double to Ernie Clement on an 87 mph cutter left in the very middle of the zone.

The veteran right-hander came into Saturday's game allowing four total runs in his past five starts, pitching 32 1/3 innings. He gave up five runs for only the second time this season.

With the defeat, the Red Sox dropped to 53-50, seven games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and five behind the Yankees for second place. However, Boston still has a hold on one of the league's wild-card playoff spots with a 2.5-game margin from the Seattle Mariners.