CLEVELAND -- J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer in the top of the 16th inning to give the Blue Jays a 7-4 victory over the Indians in the longest game on Opening Day in Major League history.
Arencibia's blast came after Indians right-hander Jairo Asencio allowed the first two hitters to reach base. Arencibia attempted to bunt the runners over on a 1-0 pitch, but failed to make contact and eventually set up his game-winning shot. It was the second consecutive year that Arencibia homered on Opening Day.
The 16-inning game marks the longest in Major League history on Opening Day. It surpassed two 15-inning affairs that occurred between Detroit at Cleveland in 1960 and Philadelphia at Washington in 1926. Toronto is 19-17 on Opening Day in club history and has won six of its past eight.
Toronto's bullpen helped make the win possible by tossing 11 shutout innings. The club used seven different relievers after left-hander Ricky Romero was charged with four runs in five innings.
Left-hander Luis Perez received the victory after four hitless innings. In the 15th, Perez also was partly responsible for sparks flying between both teams as one of his pitches to Shin-Soo Choo went up and in.
Choo had to duck out of the way and then took several steps toward the mound as the dugouts cleared. Order was quickly restored, and while Perez went on to issue a walk, he escaped the inning with the game still tied.
The battle of endurance almost didn't take place as Toronto entered the ninth trailing, 4-1, and its chances of a comeback looking slim with Chris Perez on the mound. Cleveland's closer converted 36 of 40 save opportunities last season, but his 2012 campaign didn't start off on the same note.
Perez struggled with his control and surrendered back-to-back singles to Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson to open the ninth. Bautisa cut the lead to two with a sacrifice fly, and after a walk to Adam Lind, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion that delivered the biggest blow.
Encarnacion sent a 3-1 offering deep to left field and while it appeared to be heading for the seats, it instead bounced high off the wall for a double. Two runners scored to tie the game at 4 and Perez was eventually chased from the game. Perez surrendered three runs on three hits and two walks, but was spared from the loss after right-hander Vinnie Pestano came in to strand a pair of runners.
Toronto's late-inning rally saved Romero from taking the loss in his second Opening Day start. Romero started off strong with a three-up, three-down first, but things started to unravel in the second.
Romero faced eight batters and threw 43 pitches in the four-run inning. The majority of that damage came from Jack Hannahan, who sent a 2-2 offering over the wall in right field for a three-run shot, his third career Opening Day homer.
The lone bright spot early on for the Blue Jays occurred in the fourth when Bautista sent a towering fly ball over the wall in left field for his first homer of the year. Bautista, who has led the Majors in home runs the past two seasons, has homered in two consecutive Opening Day games.
Right-hander Justin Masterson was nearly flawless for the Indians in eight strong innings. He struck out the side in the first and retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. Masterson allowed just two hits and one walk while throwing 66 of his 99 pitches for strikes.
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