TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have made a habit of dramatic finishes this season. That continued to be the case on Saturday, with the home side pulling off a thrilling 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles in front of 42,461 at Rogers Centre.
So, manager John Schneider, how are you feeling?
“The offence late, man, it's not great on my heart,” Schneider said following the contest. “It's not great on my ticker but it's awesome to watch unfold.”
The Blue Jays’ latest comeback marks an MLB-best 45 on the season and the most the franchise has had since the 1993 World Series-winning club came from behind 44 times.
“No matter what the score is, we're going to find a way to win,” said right-hander Max Scherzer. “If we go down early, we just have this mentality that we're just going to win. We're going to find a way to kick, scratch and claw our way back into this.”
Let’s dive into how the drama unfolded. With the Blue Jays trailing, 4-2, entering the ninth inning, here’s what happened:
- Daulton Varsho bunt single, advances to second on throwing error.
- Ernie Clement single.
- Joey Loperfido pinch-hit, RBI single.
- Andres Gimenez run-scoring single to tie the game.
- George Springer reaches on catcher’s interference to load bases.
- Alejandro Kirk sacrifice fly to plate winning run and walk off the Orioles.
“We all want to win,” Kirk said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “Right now, we're going through great games. Great moments for us.”
Kirk played a major role on Saturday and he didn’t even start. The catcher entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a pinch-hit, run-scoring single that cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-2.
Such success, as well as Loperfido’s pinch hit that came later, was just another example of Schneider pushing the right buttons and utilizing his entire bench to match up with opposing pitchers.
“Running out of things to say,” said Schneider. “The fact that everyone's ready to contribute is unbelievable when you use everyone on the bench.
“It's great when it works out and you win,” the manager added. “But the fact that the guys are ready for it makes us look better. Results do that. They don't quit, man. I mean it's unbelievable how they just keep going after it and keep turning the page.”
The win, coupled with a Detroit loss, ensured that Toronto (86-62) moved to 2.5 games ahead of the Tigers (84-65) in the race for the American League’s No. 1 seed. Additionally, a Yankees’ win over the Red Sox meant that New York sits three games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East while the Red Sox are 5 ½ games behind.
Max Scherzer started for the Blue Jays on Saturday and, after a rough first inning in which he allowed two runs, settled down nicely to retire 15 of the next 18 batters he faced.
The right-hander had much better life on his pitches Saturday than his previous two starts, one of which was hampered by upper-back tightness while the other was impacted by his pitch-tipping to Yankees’ hitters. Scherzer wasn’t exactly pleased with his arm-side fastballs, which he felt were missing up in the zone, but noted that’s something he’s working on polishing and feels will “naturally correct.”
In total, the right-hander allowed two runs on four hits over five innings, walking two and striking out five. He tossed 91 pitches (64 strikes) and featured a fastball that topped out at 95.2 m.p.h. and averaged 93.9 m.p.h.
If the Blue Jays’ starting pitchers stay on turn, Scherzer will have two more regular-season starts, which figure to factor into where the 41-year-old fits in the team’s playoff rotation.
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Scherzer, who’s logged 143 post-season innings and earned two World Series rings over his 18-year career, noted that there’s still plenty of work to be done before October arrives but did acknowledge that the Blue Jays are on a strong trajectory.
“If you're going to win in the playoffs, you got to be resilient,” said Scherzer. “And we're showing that right now. Obviously, you got to do it when you're in the playoffs in order to have it count. But we're showing everything that we need to be doing to be resilient.
“We go down, we come back, we find ways to win ballgames in all different types of ways,” he added. “So, those are good makeup signs. We have a great team and we have a great clubhouse as well. I've been on a lot of special teams. This reminds me of a lot of them."
