Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman warms up before the start of a spring training game against the Boston Red Sox at Florida Auto Exchange Park on March 11, 2016.Jonathan Dyer
Marcus Stroman tossed 4 2/3 innings of three-hit ball as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in 10 innings Friday.
The right-hander allowed singles in the second, third and fifth innings to Allen Craig, Mookie Betts and Rusney Castillo, respectively. He also struck out four on 55 pitches before being lifted with two outs in the fifth.
"I want to go as deep as I can each and every game [and] put the boys in position to win," Stroman said.
"I'm looking to go nine a lot this year, and anything I can to keep that efficiency up and to keep my pitch count low, I'm going to do."
Stroman, who is expected to fill the void atop Toronto's rotation following the off-season departure of ace David Price, previously struck out four in his second start against Houston on Sunday.
He missed nearly six months last season recovering from a torn anterior-cruciate ligament in his left knee before returning for four starts in late September, going 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA.
Thursday marked one year since Stroman sustained the injury during a fielding drill last spring training.
"Honestly, it was the biggest blessing in disguise I've ever had," he said. "I feel great. I can't put into words how strong I feel – my emotion, my pitches – and I'm just excited to get to opening day."
Toronto manager John Gibbons stopped short of naming Stroman the starter for Toronto's opener at Tampa Bay on April 3, but hinted that an announcement is forthcoming.
"I'll let you guys [the media] look at the calendar and kind of add things up, and then we'll officially announce something in a few days, I'm sure," he said.
Boston prospect Sam Travis homered to centre field with two outs in the ninth to force the extra inning.
Toronto prospect Jon Berti drove in the winning run in the 10th on a single to centre.
Steven Wright yielded three hits in four runless innings for the Red Sox. The right-hander also walked one and struck out one on 55 pitches, 35 strikes.
After the game, the Blue Jays announced they have signed left-handed pitcher Randy Choate to a minor-league contract with an invitatioin to spring training.
Choate, 40, appeared in 71 games for the St. Louis Cardinals last season, posting a 3.95 earned-run average over 27 1/3 innings.
A 15-year veteran, the Texas native owns a 16-14 record with a 3.90 ERA in 672 games, all out of the bullpen. His 672 games are the sixth most among active pitchers since his debut in 2000.
Meanwhile, Blue Jays first baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion, out since having an abscessed tooth pulled on Feb. 28, said he will take live batting practice on Sunday and Tuesday and should make his spring debut Wednesday against the Yankees or Thursday against the Astros.
On Saturday, R.A. Dickey will make his third start of the spring for Toronto against the Phillies in Clearwater. The 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner tossed three scoreless innings against the Braves on Monday.
With files from Globe and Mail staff