Astros Edge Blue Jays 6-5 in Ninth-Inning Thriller

Tyler Whitaker became the hero for the Houston Astros, clinching a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays with a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday's spring training matchup. With two outs in the inning, Whitaker's timely line drive scored Ben Gamel, who had earlier advanced following a walk to Ryan Wrobleski.

Earlier in the game, Toronto had jumped ahead quickly, crafting an early lead with a three-run opening inning. Andres Gimenez was integral to this breakout, knocking in two runs with a triple and subsequently scoring on a sacrifice fly by Ernie Clement.

Houston chipped away at the deficit, eventually taking the lead for the first time in the fifth inning. Here, Yainer Diaz delivered a crucial two-run home run, followed by Quincy Hamilton's ground rule double, which brought Zach Dezenzo across the plate to put Houston ahead.

Toronto rallied back in the seventh inning, trimming their deficit to just one run after Rainer Nunez singled to bring home Steward Berroa due to an error by Astros' left fielder Chas McCormick. Moments later, Addison Barger’s sacrifice fly tied the game, scoring Josh Rivera.

For the pitching side, Astros starter Hayden Wesneski threw for 3⅓ innings, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks, but managed three strikeouts. Toronto's Yariel Rodriguez pitched 3⅔ innings as starter, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks, alongside four strikeouts.

The Blue Jays saw their five-game winning streak come to an end and will now look ahead as they prepare to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in Jupiter, Florida.