Five Years Ago: Luke Maile Hits Extra Inning Game Winning Home Run

Five Years Ago

Luke Maile hit two home runs off the Red Sox. The second one was a game-winner in the 12th inning.

In 2017 Maile hit .146/.176/.231 with 2 home runs, 3 walks and 35 strikeouts. Matt posted that Maile’s season was in the running for one of the worst in MLB history.

2018 he was a different hitter. After this game, his batting line was .339/.418/.542 (it wouldn’t stay that good, but he finished the year with a .700 OPS (much better than 2017’s .407).

Anyway...this game:

Aaron Sanchez started. He went 5 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. When he left the game, we were down 3-2. He gave up a run in the first on a walk (Mookie Betts) and a single (Andrew Benintendi), plus a flyout and a run-scoring ground out

We tied it in the bottom on the innings, when lead-off hitting Teoscar Hernandez doubled, off starter Chris Sale, and Josh Donaldson singled him home.

We went ahead in the second. Kendrys Morales started the inning with a ground-rule double. An Anthony Alford sac fly and a Luke Maile single scored him.

The Red Sox went ahead in the fourth. Xander Bogaerts led off with a home run. Then Mitch Moreland singled, moved to third on two ground outs (one should have been a double play, but Yangervis Solarte couldn’t get the ball out of his glove for the throw to first), and scored on a passed ball.

The Jays tied it up again on Luke Maile’s first home run in the seventh.

And it stayed tied until the 12th inning (back in the old days when we didn’t start extra innings with the Manfred Man) when Curtis Granderson led off with a walk, and then Maile hit his second home run of the game (and season).

Our bullpen pitched 7 scoreless innings. We got hitless innings from each of John Axford, Seugnhwan Oh (remember him?), Ryan Tepara, and Tyler Clippard (who had a terrific first half of the season, but the second half was far less good. Sam Gaviglio threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing just one baserunner, picking up the win.

Jays of the Day: Gaviglio (.433 WPA), Maile (.663), Granderson (.147) and Tepera (.111).

Suckage: Solarte (-.182, 0 for 5, 2 k, plus the ball getting stuck in his glove on a double play chance), Smoak (-.180, 0 for 5, 4 k, had no chance against Sale), Morales (-.168 1 for 5, double), Pompey (-.108 off the bunt strikeout) and Donaldson (-.135, 1 for 5, 4 k, most of them on check swings called strikes).

There are a few names I have pretty much forgotten. Solarte played second and third for us that year, hitting .226/.277/.378 on the season. He came to us in trade from the Padres for Jared Carkuff (who never made it out of the minors) and Edward Olivares (who plays for the Royals this year).

Lourdes Gurriel played shortstop, which I’ve tried to erase from my memory. Dalton Pompey pinch hit to bunt but couldn’t get the ball down. And Teoscar Hernandez leading off is