TORONTO (Interstat) — Garrett Crochet delivered a masterful performance on the mound, and the Boston Red Sox used a pair of home runs to overpower the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.

In a crucial late-season matchup with American League wild-card implications, Crochet was nearly untouchable. The left-hander pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six without issuing a walk. He earned his 18th win of the season against five losses, winning his fifth consecutive decision.

The Red Sox (87-71) wasted no time giving their ace an early cushion, erupting for three runs in the top of the first inning against Toronto starter Max Scherzer. After Jarren Duran struck out, Trevor Story and Alex Bregman hit back-to-back singles. Masataka Yoshida then lined a double to right field, scoring Story. Romy Gonzalez followed with a single to left that plated both Bregman and Yoshida, staking Boston to a 3-0 lead before Crochet even took the mound.

Scherzer (5-5) settled in after the rocky first but was tagged for another run in the fifth inning when Yoshida launched a solo home run, his third of the season, to extend the Boston lead to 4-0. Scherzer exited after five innings, having allowed four runs on 10 hits while striking out five. He was charged with the loss.

The game remained 4-0 until the eighth inning, when the Red Sox put it out of reach against Blue Jays reliever José Berríos. Gonzalez singled and Ceddanne Rafaela walked. After two outs were recorded, catcher Carlos Narváez connected for a three-run homer to center field, his 15th of the year, making the score 7-0.

Crochet’s dominant outing was supported by sharp defense, including a double play started by shortstop Trevor Story in the third inning. He faced minimal trouble, with Toronto’s only runner to reach second base against him being Ernie Clement, who doubled with one out in the first inning. Crochet retired the next two batters to strand him.

The Blue Jays (90-68), who have lost seven of their last 10 games, avoided the shutout in the ninth inning against Boston reliever Payton Tolle. Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the frame with a solo home run, his second of the season. Tolle then retired the next three batters to seal the victory.

Story finished the game with three hits for the Red Sox, who won for the fourth time in five games and collected 12 hits as a team. Yoshida went 2-for-5 with the home run and two RBIs, while Gonzalez scored two runs. The Blue Jays managed only four hits total, with Kiner-Falefa’s homer accounting for their lone run.

The victory inches Boston closer in the crowded AL wild-card race, while Toronto’s recent slump has tightened its own postseason positioning. The two teams will conclude their four-game series on Thursday afternoon. The game was played in two hours and 24 minutes in front of a crowd of 39,438.