TORONTO – Jonah Bride reached base three times and drove in two runs, Otto Lopez had two hits and an RBI against his former team and the Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays to win 3-1 in Sunday’s finale the regular season.

“It’s a good moment, especially to end the season this way,” said substitute coach Luis Urueta.

Ryan Weathers (5-6) allowed one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings and won his second straight start. Weathers walked two and struck out six.

Weathers struck out a bases-loaded jam with no out in the first inning and retired 16 consecutive batters between the second and seventh innings.

“It felt good,” Weathers said. “Any time you can do well against a strong team, it’s good.”

Anthony Bender got the final four outs for his first save on five occasions as Miami won a series for the second time.

Toronto lost eight of its last nine games in September, going 7-17. The Blue Jays finished 39-42 at home.

Manager John Schneider put slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the leadoff spot, hoping to increase his chances of becoming the sixth player in Blue Jays history to reach 200 hits.

Guerrero went 0 for 2 with one strikeout and walked twice to finish with 199 hits.

Fans booed when Miami’s Lake Bachar hit a 3-2 fastball in Guerrero’s final plate appearance in the eighth, then cheered with a standing ovation when Guerrero was replaced by pinch runner Nathan Lukes.

No Blue Jays player has had a 200-hit season since Vernon Wells (215) in 2003.

Milestone chase or not, Guerrero said he wasn’t tempted to hit Bachar’s full-count pitch.

“It was easy for me,” Guerrero said through a translator. “I’m not just going to strike out and try to get a hit because I know I can take a walk.”

Toronto was defeated for the fifth time, finishing 74-88, its worst record since 67-95 in 2019.

“We have to get better at everything,” Guerrero said.

The Blue Jays posted an 89-73 record last season, good enough for the third AL wild card.

The Marlins also saw a significant decline from 2023, when they finished 84-78 and secured a spot in the NL wild card. Although Miami won five of the last six games, the final record was 62-100.

“It’s a young group of players and they have a bright future,” Urueta said. “You just have to keep working.”

The Blue Jays drew 31,688 spectators, bringing total attendance for the year to 2,681,236. That was down from 3,021,904 in 2023.

Urueta, playing his second game in place of the absent Skip Schumaker, moved Jake Burger to the top of his lineup. Burger came into the game with 29 home runs. He singled and scored in the first, but did not reach base again.

Bride hit a two-run single in the first against Blue Jays opener Ryan Burr (0-2).

Bride singled off Dillon Tate in the sixth, leading off with a single and scoring when Lopez hit a double.

Bride hit .326 with six home runs and 17 RBI in games on September 26.

“I think he has a future here,” Urueta said.

Schumacher missed his second game after leaving the team due to a medical issue in his family.

ROSTER MOVES

Blue Jays: Toronto has recalled LHP Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned RHP Yariel Rodríguez to the Spring Training Complex.

NEXT

Marlins: Miami begins its 2025 spring training schedule by hosting St. Louis on Feb. 22.

Blue Jays: Toronto begins its 2025 Grapefruit League schedule by hosting the New York Yankees on Feb. 22.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb