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

Ponce strikes out two, Clement gets three hits in Jays' exhibition tie against Tigers | iNFOnews.ca
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce warms up at Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

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.

Ponce strikes out two, Clement gets three hits in Jays' exhibition tie against Tigers | iNFOnews.ca
Toronto Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement makes a throw to first as Kazuma Okamoto looks on during a drill at Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

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The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

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