Ponce strikes out two, Clement gets three hits in Jays’ exhibition tie against Tigers

LAKELAND — Cody Ponce struck out two in his Toronto spring training debut, Ernie Clement went 3-for-3 with two runs batted in and the Toronto Blue Jays tied a Detroit Tigers split squad 4-4 on Wednesday.

Ponce, signed by Toronto in the off-season after an MVP campaign in South Korea, pitched the opening inning for the Blue Jays and struck out the first two batters he faced in a perfect inning.

Toronto opened the scoring in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Nathan Lukes and a two-run single from Clement.

Detroit took the lead in the sixth as Corey Julks hit a run-scoring single off Pat Gallagher before Thayron Lirinzo tagged Jack Cushing for a three-run homer.

Toronto tied the game in the ninth when Riley Tirotta scored on a fielder’s choice.

Toronto (1-3-1) returns to its spring facility in Dunedin, Fla., for a game against the Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.