A wild play in the bottom of the 10th inning helped the Toronto Blue Jays complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 7-6 win in Game 3 to close out the American League Division Series on Sunday.
With two runners on and the score tied at 6-6, Russell Martin hit a potential inning-ending double-play ball to shortstop. However, Rougned Odor’s throw to first base was off and Josh Donaldson raced home for the walk-off victory:
The run put the Blue Jays in rare company, per ESPN Stats & Info:
Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chimed in on the victory:
Britt McHenry of ESPN believes this is just the start for Toronto:
It was not a great night for pitching, as both starters struggled on the mound. Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis couldn’t get an out in the third inning, allowing five runs in 2.0 innings of work. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez lasted 5.2 innings, but he was charged with six runs.
Mike Peasley of ESPN Radio praised the relievers on both sides, who performed better:
The Texas bullpen allowed only two unearned runs in 7.2 innings, while Toronto’s squad threw 4.1 scoreless innings.
However, the Blue Jays came through when it mattered in the 10th inning.
The Rangers got on the board without even recording a hit in the first inning. Carlos Gomez walked and eventually came home on a Carlos Beltran groundout.
However, the Blue Jays took control of the game thanks to first-inning home runs by Edwin Encarnacion and Russell Martin.
Alykhan K. Ravjiani of MLB.com broke down the impressive numbers on Encarnacion’s homer:
Martin also broke a rough stretch in the postseason, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports noted:
After an Elvis Andrus home run cut the Rangers’ deficit to 3-2 in the top of the third, the Blue Jays offense again came through with RBI hits by Josh Donaldson and Encarnacion to extend the lead to 5-2 in the bottom half of the inning.
The third inning got the Toronto crowd feeling excited about potentially clinching the series. The game was far from over, though.
Odor lived up to his role as the villain in Toronto by blasting a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the top of the fourth.
Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com noted the mood of the stadium:
Texas took the lead in the sixth inning on a two-run double by Mitch Moreland.
Barry Davis of Sportsnet noted how close Moreland’s hit was to being caught:
Nomar Mazara then made a great catch with runners on to keep Toronto from regaining the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Mazara’s play came immediately after Troy Tulowitzki tied things up at 6-6 on a passed ball.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News questioned All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy’s defense:
The bullpens stepped up, though, as the game remained tied for the next three innings.
Donaldson started the Blue Jays’ rally in the 10th with a leadoff double, and he eventually came through with the game-winning run a few batters later, helping Toronto into the next round.
The Blue Jays’ win sent them to the American League Championship Series, where they will face the winner of the ALDS battle between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. Game 3 in that series was postponed, but the Indians hold a 2-0 lead and can clinch Monday.
Game 1 of the ALCS is set for Friday.
Post-Game Reaction
The bullpens were a big story of this game with Toronto closer Roberto Osuna pitching two shutout innings and earning the win. Donaldson was happy with his teammate’s performance, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet:
Meanwhile, Rangers manager Jeff Banister had to give credit where it was due after the series, per Newy Scruggs of NBC Sports:
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com