TORONTO – Bo Bichette hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning and Addison Barger followed with a walkoff blast to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Diamondbacks reliever Shelby Miller (3-2) struck out Davis Schneider to open the Toronto half of the frame before Bichette hit a solo shot to left field.

Barger ended it five pitches later with a no-doubt homer inside the right-field foul screen.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also homered for the Blue Jays, who ended their three-game losing skid. His 448-foot blast was his longest homer of the season.

Canadian Josh Naylor had two hits and a run for the Diamondbacks.

Barger and Guerrero hit back-to-back doubles in the first inning off Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt to push the opening run across. A sliding catch by former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left field prevented further damage.

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In the fourth inning, Toronto’s Jonatan Clase was hit by a pitch in the right knee area and left the game. Myles Straw took over in centre field but was hurt in the fifth after crashing into the wall on Naylor’s RBI double.

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Straw, who suffered a right ankle sprain, was replaced by Alan Roden.

The Diamondbacks made it 4-2 in the seventh inning when Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI single that plated Ketel Marte. Guerrero singled home Bichette in the bottom half of the frame to make it a one-run game.

Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt (7-4) allowed three earned runs, six hits and a walk over six innings. He had five strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman (6-2) worked the ninth inning for the victory.

Announced attendance was 38,537 and the game took two hours 57 minutes to play.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

A moment of silence was observed before the game in honour of Dr. Ron Taylor, who won two World Series titles as a player and was a Blue Jays team physician for 30 years.

Taylor, who died Monday at age 87, was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

ROSTER MOVES

Earlier Tuesday, the Blue Jays placed right-hander Bowden Francis on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement and designated reliever Erik Swanson for assignment.

The team also selected left-hander Justin Bruihl to the big-league roster and recalled right-hander Paxton Schultz from Triple-A Buffalo.

COMING UP

Eric Lauer (2-1, 2.37) was expected to start for the Blue Jays (39-33) on Wednesday night against fellow southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 6.27) of the Diamondbacks (36-36).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025.

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press

A massive deficit is leading the Thames Valley District School Board to make massive cuts to staffing in an effort to save $4.7 million.

The board said in a statement it’s implementing a series of “staffing adjustments” at the central board offices as part of its ongoing financial recovery efforts.

The board would not confirm the number of cuts; a representative for the board said in a statement the cuts would result in $4.7 million in savings on salaries and benefits.

This comes amid several other changes to combat a massive deficit.

Some of these changes have taken effect immediately, and the board reports that others will be phased in over the coming months, and the 2025-2026 school year.

“The changes reflect the Board’s commitment to long-term financial sustainability and ensuring that resources are focused on supporting student learning and well-being,” a representative for the board said in a statement.

The cuts come following a weeks-long financial audit of the board following outrage over controversial sending practices.

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The report found that the financial position of TVDSB has declined from having a surplus of $3.5 million in 2020 to 2021 to an in-year deficit of $17.32 million in 2023 to 2024.

While the projected deficit for the 2024-25 school year is expected to improve slightly to $16.8 million.

The board has already implemented savings measures including the staffing cuts for the 2024 2025 school year, which would reduce $16.8 million deficit to an adjusted deficit ranging from $15.9 million to $13.7 million depending on which cuts are made.

“While these decisions are difficult, they have been made with a clear focus on securing the Board’s financial stability and ensuring that resources remain available where they are needed most. The Board is committed to providing support for staff who are impacted by these changes,” a representative for the board said in a statement.

All this comes following highly criticized spending practices and the board’s director of education stepping down in March.

In March the board announced that that the board of trustees accepted Mark Fisher’s resignation.

Fisher has been on a leave of absence since early September 2024, which took effect just days before the school board revealed the cost of an off-site planning meeting in Toronto, totaling $38,444.92.

This includes transportation, the Blue Jays’ stadium hotel, meeting spaces and food expenses.

Following the controversy over the trip, Ontario’s Ministry of Education announced an audit of the board, which resulted in them finding the $16.8 million deficit.

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A dog park in the east end of Hamilton was recently closed by the city after a survey of the soil showed it may contain harmful contaminants that could be harmful to dogs, according to an update from city council.

The update said an investigation was launched last summer after an area resident told the city that they believed the soil at the Birch Avenue Leash-Free Dog Park had led to health conditions for dogs, including illness and death.

In January, an outside company completed soil sampling and analysis, which found issues with the soil. At that point, tests were done to determine risks to people before the city said it shut the park down out of an “abundance of caution” on Friday.

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“Recent testing has identified the presence of some contaminants, including heavy metals. While there is no indication of risk to humans, the potential effects on dogs require further investigation,” Cynthia Graham, director of environmental services with the city, said in an emailed statement.

The city did not say why it waited for further testing to close the park rather than chain it up in January when the initial test results arrived.

“We understand that dog owners who use this dog park may have concerns about the potential for soil contamination and the well-being of their pets. Please be assured that the City continues to prioritize the health and safety of both residents and their pets,” Graham said.

The dog park was opened in 2010 on a site that had been used as a disposal location for non-hazardous fill, including brick, rubble and concrete.

“When the park was established in 2010, staff reviewed background site studies and determined the soil met the environmental standards required at that time for park use,” Graham explained.

“In June 2025, the city received an expert opinion that common use of the site by humans, with the grass cover in place, poses no immediate risk to people. However, due to the natural wear in dog parks that can expose soil, further review is underway to assess potential impacts on dog health.”

Hamilton did not say how long the park will be closed for as it waits for the results of a detailed analysis focused specifically on dog health.

“Once that review is complete, the city will share the findings with council and the community, along with an action plan if any recommendations are provided,” Graham said.

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