It wasn't the prettiest win, but the Toronto Blue Jays gave us plenty of drama in a game that felt like a rollercoaster from the first pitch.
Down 5-0 early, the Jays mounted a comeback that reminded us why we love this game. Just when the naysayers counted them out, the bats came alive in the seventh inning to knot things up at five runs apiece.
Jesús Sánchez got things started with a double off the left field wall, driving in a run. Then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base on a costly error by third baseman Junior Caminero, bringing home the tying run. Vlad showed some impressive plate discipline too, fouling off several tough pitches before that key at-bat. And did we mention he stole second? That kind of hustle is what builds momentum.
On the mound, Patrick Corbin had a rough outing, surrendering nine hits and a walk over his stint. He was fortunate to escape with just three earned runs given how hard the ball was being hit. Tommy Nance added to the drama by allowing another run over 1.2 innings, though he did notch three strikeouts.
Jeff Hoffman served up a solo homer in his inning of work, but at least struck out two. Ty Rogers pitched a scoreless frame in a way that was anything but typical for him—a walk, a lineout, a caught stealing (great throw from Valenzuela), and a strikeout. Louis Varland battled through a scoreless ninth to keep the game alive.
The 10th inning was where things got wild. Braydon Fisher struggled with the automatic runner on second. A deep fly to left was misplayed by Piñango, but he recovered to make the catch. The runner advanced to third, and Taylor Walls singled him home. Then Yandy Díaz walked, and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. A sac fly to the wall in center—courtesy of an incredible catch by Daulton Varsho running into the wall—scored another run. A groundout that Clement bobbled finally ended the inning.
The Jays fought back in the bottom half. Piñango grounded out, moving Springer to third. Vlad, after two more hard-hit foul balls (hopefully a sign he's heating up), delivered a sac fly. Okamoto walked, but Giménez grounded out on the first pitch against a lefty.
Defensively, it was a rough day all around. Varsho misread a fly ball, Clement had trouble with a couple of grounders, and Okamoto also made a miscue. The defense has been suspect this season, and today was no exception.
At the plate, the Jays managed just six hits—two doubles among them. George Springer and Ernie Clement each had two hits, while Piñango and Sánchez added the others.
Our Jays of the Day: Piñango (0.21 WPA), Varland (0.14), Rogers (0.11), and Vlad (0.12). On the flip side, Fisher (-0.41), Corbin (-0.17), Giménez (-0.15), and Valenzuela (-0.12) took home the other award.
It wasn't perfect, but it was close—and sometimes that's all you need to keep hope alive. Tomorrow is another day, and the Jays will look to clean things up.