Rays Walk-Off Blue Jays In Ninth

Rays 4 Blue Jays 3

Although the Jays lost, at least Toronto sports fans can watch hours of Auston Matthews highlights all night.

The game got off to an interesting start, as both teams failed to capitalize on first inning defensive blunders. In the top-half, Kevin Kiermaier caught a fly ball off of the bat of Jose Bautista, but proceeded to drop the ball while transferring the ball out of his glove. As a result, Josh Donaldson was able to tag up from first and get into scoring position for Edwin Encarnacion, but an easy fly-out to right quickly ended the threat. In the bottom half, a groundball to Josh Donaldson nicked off his glove, allowing Logan Forsythe to reach base to begin the inning. However, Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ was unfazed, as he quickly got Brandon Guyer to ground into a double-play and get his team out of danger.

Troy Tulowitzki just missed a home run to start the second inning, flying out to the edge of the warning track in left field. With two out, we were amazed with a KEVIN PILLAR WALK, as Chris Archer lost his control and proceeded to walk Ryan Goins as well. That brought Josh Thole to the plate with two-on and two-out, but he would softly groundout to first.

J.A. Happ continued to cruise in the second, quickly getting the Blue Jays bats back up to the plate. In the third, Josh Donaldson drew his second walk of the game, and Archer's early command problems would finally haunt him. Jose Bautista stepped up and crushed a two-run homerun just over the short wall in left, and the Blue Jays were off to an early 2-0 lead.

It did not take long for the Rays to cut into Toronto's lead, as Kiermaier walked with one-out in the third, stole second, then scored on Forsythe's two-out RBI single. Kevin Pillar's error allowed him to advance to second on the play, but a line-out right at Troy Tulowitzki allowed the Jays to maintain a 2-1 edge through three innings of play.

Both pitchers managed to keep out of danger until the bottom of the 5^th, when Desmond Jennings lined a leadoff double into the gap in right. He soon advanced to third after tagging up on a flyball to deep right, and the Rays were in business with a man on third and just one out. The lead was in danger, but J.A. Happ struck out Curt Casali with a high-inside fastball, then got Brandon Guyer to line out to Kevin Pillar and end the inning.

However, Chris Archer was really settled in and kept the Blue Jays off of the scoreboard in the 4^th, 5^th, in 6^th. With just one hit, the Blue Jays carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 6^th, but a solo shot off of the bat of Evan Longoria tied the game at 2.

Left-hander Enny Romero relieved Archer to begin the 7^th, and a solo shot courtesy of Kevin Pillar quickly regained the Blue Jays lead. However, this lead was also short lived, as Happ surrendered a solo shot of his own to Logan Forsythe in the bottom half. Erasmo Ramirez and Jesse Chavez each pitched a three-up-three down eighth inning for their respective teams, keeping the game tied heading into the 9^th.

With one out in the top of the ninth, Pillar ripped a double down the right field line. Rays manager Kevin Cash responded by bringing in left-hander Xavier Cedeno to face the bottom of the order. John Gibbons decided to leave Ryan Goins into the game, and he promptly grounded out to second. Matt Dominguez was chosen to pinch hit for Josh Thole, but a strikeout got Cedeno out of the inning.

The Rays walked it off in the ninth. Brett Cecil came in and immediately induced a routine groundball to first baseman Justin Smoak, but Brad Miller somehow beat him to the bag. Kiermaier immediately doubled to advance Miller to third with none out, before Curt Casali walked things off with an RBI single to left.