TORONTO — In the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday, Pete Alonso whipped a baseball down the right-field line in frustration.
Brandon Valenzuela had just hit into a potential inning-ending double play, only that’s not how second base umpire Nic Lentz saw it. Valenzuela was out at first — everyone agreed on that much — but the Orioles believed Ernie Clement had strayed outside the basepath while avoiding a tag from Gunnar Henderson on his way to second base and should therefore be out.
When Lentz called Clement safe, Henderson objected immediately while Orioles manager Craig Albernaz hopped over the dugout rail to protest and Alonso threw the ball into foul territory in frustration. But despite the Orioles' complaints, the call stood, giving way to a five-run rally that set in motion a 6-4 Blue Jays win.
With the victory, the Blue Jays improve to 32-34 on the season, half a game back of the Rangers for the last American League wild-card spot.
“We’re a really good team,” Clement said. “We have a chance to be a great team. It’s about nailing things down, and once we firmly figure out our team identity I think this team has a chance to be better than last year.”
Asked after the game why Clement was called safe, Lentz said Clement had the right to establish his base path en route to second.
“Even though Henderson reached out for a tag, Clement's base path was already established out there, going to the second base, so therefore it was not out of the baseline,” Lentz told a pool reporter.
Once Clement’s base path is established, he’s free to continue along that line even if it’s not the most direct path between the bases. In this case, the umpires ruled that Clement was creating space for Henderson to field the grounder.
“It actually is a very gentlemanly thing to do,” crew chief Hunter Wendelstedt said.
The Orioles disagreed, but if there's anything Henderson could have done differently the umpiring crew wasn't about to offer pointers.
“You know, I'm not going to go into how to be a shortstop,” Lentz replied.
“If either one of us could be shortstops, we'd be out there playing,” Wendelstedt added.
The Orioles didn't find any of it amusing as they fell to 31-35.
“The only reason that I'm not going to talk about that play is because I'll get fined,” Shane Baz told reporters.
"I haven't looked at it yet. Maybe fortunate there," Blue Jays manager John Schneider acknowledged.
As for Clement, he credited his father and the coaching staff at the University of Virginia for teaching him strong fundamentals. Ultimately, though, it's a "weird one" that draws on a player's instincts.
"You've got to try to not get tagged in that situation," he said. "It all happened so fast."
"These are instinctual plays. It's hard to teach that. You have to let your instincts take over."
Before the controversial play near second base, Yohendrick Piñango started the Blue Jays’ rally with his fourth home run of the season. Kazuma Okamoto would later add an RBI single, while Andrés Giménez contributed an RBI double, and Nathan Lukes pinch hit with an RBI single of his own.
Giménez also displayed some impressive baserunning, scoring on a Lukes single that never left the infield.
Later, Valenzuela hit his seventh home run of the season to provide some insurance. Not only does the home run raise his season OPS to .822, it puts him second on the team in home runs — a remarkable achievement for someone who began the season as the organization’s third-string catcher.
"He's shown that he's an all-around pretty good player," Schneider said.
At this point, it’s clear Valenzuela’s an important part of this team, so when Alejandro Kirk returns — potentially in the next week — there’s a strong case for keeping the switch-hitter around. Sunday marked his third consecutive start, reflecting the Blue Jays’ growing trust in him.
"He's slowed the game down," Gausman said. "It's been fun to watch him get better and better."
But while the supporting cast came through, George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., combined to go hitless in eight at-bats.
On the pitching side, Kevin Gausman got off to a strong start before struggling in the fifth inning when he allowed four runs, including homers by Colton Cowser and Taylor Ward. All told, the right-hander allowed four runs on five hits while striking out five.
"I thought Kev threw the ball really well," Schneider said.
After Gausman’s exit, Adam Macko, Connor Seabold, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland each provided scoreless outings to preserve the lead and earn an important win over a division rival. Varland's ERA dropped to a microscopic 0.26 as he recorded his 11th save.
Next up, the Philadelphia Phillies arrive with three formidable starting pitchers: Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo. It’s a tough trio, but with Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer getting closer to a big-league return, the Blue Jays might finally be re-stabilizing their own rotation.
"Hope that with those guys coming back we can give (our relievers) more of a break," Gausman said.
And after a series win against Baltimore, they’re closing in on playoff position.
"We're really coming together," Clement said. "We're rallying late and we're really starting to play for each other. It feels really good to get a win like that."
7:32
7:03