Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Mason Fluharty (68) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre on May 1. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Toronto Blue Jays Reliever Makes History Not Seen Since 2002

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 8:50 AM ET

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Mason Fluharty played the hero on Sunday afternoon as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 at Dodger Stadium.

With the win, the Jays are now 69-50, and they are four games up in the American League East. The Dodgers are 68-50 and just two games up in the National League West.

Leading 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman walked the first two batters of the inning. They advanced to second and third via a sacrifice bunt and then Hoffman walked Alex Call to load the bases.

That's when Fluharty came in, striking out Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts to end the game and make some rare baseball history.

Per @OptaSTATS on social media:

Mason Fluharty of the @BlueJays recorded his first MLB save by retiring two batters, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, with the bases loaded. The last MLB save which saw two former MVPs retired with the bases loaded was by Trevor Hoffman on 9/15/02 (Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent).

Mason Fluharty of the @BlueJays recorded his first MLB save by retiring two batters, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, with the bases loaded. The last MLB save which saw two former MVPs retired with the bases loaded was by Trevor Hoffman on 9/15/02 (Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent). pic.twitter.com/9wUIqSPYRX
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 11, 2025

Fluharty, 23, has gone 4-2 this season with a 5.15 ERA, but he does have swing-and-miss stuff, fanning 45 batters in 43.2 innings. This is his first year in the big leagues.

Offensively, the Jays were powered by home runs from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Addison Barger and Ernie Clement, who homered in the top of the ninth to give them the lead.