Today in Jays History: Jays Play 19 innings

Seven Years Ago Today

The Jays and Cleveland played a 19-inning game, the second-longest game by time and tied for the most innings the Jays ever played.

I miss games like this.

I’m also pretty sure Matt set a record for the longest recap. Those games cause a lot of writing.

We ended up losing it 2-1. It would be Cleveland’s 14th straight win (the next day, the Jays ended their winning streak and took the last two games of the series).

Along the way, the Jays used ten pitchers (well, eight pitchers and two utility infielders.

• Marcus Stroman started and went 6.2 innings, allowing just 1 run. In the third inning, Carlos Santana led off with a double, and Jason Kipnis singled him home. He allowed 5 hits, 1 walk with 6 strikeouts, throwing 96 pitches. He came out in the seventh with the bases loaded on a single, error (by Justin Smoak) and a walk.
• Brett Cecil came in and got the last out of the inning. With the benefit of hindsight, John Gibbons should have let him pitch the eighth. But how was he to know the game had 12 more innings?
• Jason Grill pitched a clean eighth.
• Roberto Osuna allowed a leadoff single but got out of the inning.
• Joe Biagini got the tenth, hitting a batter and giving up a single. But, again, if Gibby knew that the game would go 19, Osuna and Biagini would have gone more than an inning.
• Jesse Chavez gave us three perfect innings. Jesse would go three innings in another extra inning game that season against the Padres, getting the win in the 12th inning of that game.
• Drew Storen pitched the 14th and started the 15th, coming out after a one-out walk and strikeout.
• Bo Schultz (remember him?) got a double play to end the 15th. He would go two more innings, coming out of the game at 48 pitches. That’s where it became fun.
• Ryan Goins came in to pitch the 18th inning. He gave up a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with no outs. But then he got a force out at the plate on a ground ball to second. They intentionally walked Tyler Naquin (a move stands out; you intentionally walk a batter with a utility infielder on the mound). But it worked. Goins got Chris Gimenez to hit into an inning-ending double play.
• Darwin Barney came in for the 19th. He gave up a leadoff home run to Carlos Santana but got three straight outs, including a strikeout to end the inning.

Unfortunately, we could only get one run-off 9 Cleveland pitchers. We scored our only run in the sixth inning on a Justin Smoak home run. Trevor Bauer (I wonder what ever became of him?), who was to be Cleveland’s starter the next day, pitched the last five innings and got the win.

But we only managed 11 hits in the 19 innings. Darwin Barney had 3 of them (he started the game at second base). Troy Tulowitzki also had 3 hits, and Kevin Pillar had 2.

We had 0 fors from Ezequiel Carrero (0 for 7), Josh Donaldson (0 for 6), and Michael Saunders (0 for 7)

It wasn’t all fun and games.

Vic Carapazza, the home plate umpire, had (as usual) a rough night calling balls and strikes. Edwin Encarnacion was tossed from the game in the bottom of the first over a polite disagreement about the strike zone. Vic, you may remember....Well, Matt told it better:

Maybe that name seems familiar—Carapazza was behind the plate in Game 2 of the ALDS when the Blue Jays were not too happy with the strike zone. In any event, the 1st was a harbinger of things to come, as Carapazza was very liberal in giving Josh Tomlin the corners at the top of the strike zone. Over the first eight innings, eight Blue Jays were set down looking, only the first and last were clearly the correct call. Besides the one above, there was another bad one to Ezequiel where the pitcher totally missed his spot yet got a very borderline call. The frustration all came to a head with more fireworks in the 13th inning, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

In the 13th:

Donaldson was hit leading off, but a fielder’s choice by Travis brought up Saunders. He was called out on a fastball on the inside corner that he thought was inside, and just barely avoided drawing a line in the dirt which would have surely provoked an ejection. Russell Martin was behind him, and was called for a swing on 1-2 curve on which he he didn’t come close to going around. After an afternoon of having calls go against him, he had a few words for Carapazza, who tossed him, at which point Martin went absolutely ballistic and was barely restrained by DeMarlo Hale and Luis Rivera.

Goins went on the DL the next day with forearm tightness. He hit 90 MPH on his fastball in his inning. Ryan would be out until early August and then was sent to Buffalo until late August. That’s likely why he didn’t come out for a second inning of work. He was surprisingly impressive on the mound.

Schultz would also be sent down to the minors after the game.

From the recap:

Super Jays of the Day: Schultz (+0.595), Chavez (+0.410)

Jays of the Day: Basically all the pitchers, even a fake one. Stroman (+0.156 WPA), Cecil (+0.121 WPA for 3 pitches), Grilli (+0.106), Osuna (+0.137), Biagini (+0.137), RYAN FREAKING GOINS (+0.137). Tulowitzki was the lone hitter (+0.159, 3/6, 2 BB).

Super Suckage: Barney (-0.573, -0.272 as a hitter and -0.301 as a pitcher). I feel bad doing that, since it’s not really his fault he had to pitch. Also, Vic Carapazza. Let’s turn him away at the border next time.

Suckage: Basically, all the hitters. Carrera (-0.395), Saunders (-0.369), Travis (-0.342), Martin (-0.181), Smoak(-0.185), Donaldson (-0.162), Thole (-0.099).

If you want to check out the boxscore, it is here.