Elliott: We knew a Blue Jays win was coming
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The game ended at 11:33 Tuesday night.
There was one out in the bottom of the 11th when Edwin Encarnacion walked off the Baltimore Orioles with a three-run homer.
Encarnacion’s no-doubter came four minutes earlier than Joe Carter’s 1993 launch time against Mitch Williams to win the World Series.
We knew that the Blue Jays would advance to the American League Division Series for the second straight year in the eighth inning. Yep. We didn’t know how they were going to win, we didn’t know who would knock in the game winner -- but we knew. We even told some people in the press box it was only a matter of time.
First, we saw a Baltimore writer come out of the washroom wearing old clothes and carrying his dress clothes on a hanger. Then, we saw another who had changed into old clothes.
Why do ball scribes changes clothes?
So their good clothes won’t be soaked in champagne -- fine or otherwise.
Why would an Oriole writer change? To have on old duds when walking into a champagne-filled room.
And while you and I may not believe in jinxes, good luck/bad luck omens, the baseball gods certainly do. The same baseball gods who want to see encores of Jose Bautista and The Bat Flip, or Bautista Leading With His Chin Against Roughed Odor, were not impressed with writers changing into old garb in anticipation of a champagne spritzing.
So there you have the rationale ... completely unscientific and as broadcaster Mike Wilner (see Mark Trumbo’s homer last home stand) will tell you, the baseball gods have power.
Carter went deep at 11:37 Oct. 23, 1993.
Then there was Bautista going deep at 6:54 PM in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the ALDS to give the Jays a lead over the Texas Rangers that they would never relinquish.
And then Encarnacion.
So Jays fans have seen -- in their last five post-season games -- two walks off and one come-from-behind bomb Toronto was down to its final seven outs ... a drive which capped the zaniest, possibly most emotional full inning in franchise history. There was drama, anger, fury, excitement and pure joy.
The top of the 11th saw Francisco Liriano set down the Orioles in order. The bottom half opened with lefty Brian Duensing -- not Zach Britton, a perfect 47-for-47 -- striking out Ezequiel Carrera. On came Ubaldo Jiminez -- not Britton -- and then Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson singled to set up a first and third situation.
Encarnacion hit the first pitch into the left field seats and the place went nutso. The gentle slugger who speaks softly raised his arms in the air and toured the bases.
The only thing worse for the Orioles would be if the ball had cleared the right field fence and landed into Britton’s glove.
NO BRITTON: The perfect closer warmed up three times and was healthy.
“I liked the job that Darren (O’Day) could do,” Showalter said. “I liked the job that Brad (Brach) could do. I liked the job that Mychal (Givens) could do. I liked the job that (Brian) Duensing could do. Nobody has been pitching better for us than Ubaldo (Jiminez), too, so there are a lot of different ways to look at it.”
Showalter had Encarnacion walked intentionally in the ninth (after a Donaldson double) thhen Brach struck out Bautista and escaped by retiring Russell Martin on a double play. After the Donaldson single he could have walked Encarnacion and had Jimenez face Bautista, who is 3-for-38 against the Baltimore starter.
It will make for a long winter in Baltimore ... much like the Blue Jays winter of 1991. Cito Gaston went with Mike Timlin in the 11th inning at the SkyDome and Mike Pagliarulo hit a solo homer. Duane Ward -- the Jays closer at the time as Tom Henke was coming off an injury -- never threw a pitch as the Twins took a 2-1 lead on the Friday night. They won the next two games to advance to the World Series.
SO WHICH DO YOU LIKE BETTER: Bautista went deep last year to push the Jays past the Rangers in the seventh inning of Game 5 and on into the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals. Encarnacion delivered a walk off to put the Jays into the ALDS against the Rangers. So, which homer do you like better? Granted it’s like asking a parent of two children whom is your favorite child?
Kevin Pillar: “They were both pretty special, but considering everything that happened in Game 5 last year with Jose hitting was special. Edwin came up in extra innings when we were facing elimination in a wild-card game. We had the right guy up, That’s going to go down in history as one of the best home runs in Blue Jays history.”
Aaron Sanchez: “The one got us to the next round last year, the other got us in. Our backs were against the wall ... 11th inning. We had to win, Edwin won it for us.”
Michael Saunders: “I think Edwin’s will go down in Canadian baseball lore. It was one round earlier than Jose. There was more magnitude to everything that was going on around and the need to move on ... it’s hard to judge. It was two all-star players stepping up and getting the job done.”
Josh Thole, after receiving a text and then having face time with former teammate Mark Buehrle, who called from a camping trip in Winnipeg: “It’s six of one, half dozen of the other. We could see it coming -- that’s the depth of our team, our lineup.”
Dalton Pompey: “One was just as big as the other. I hopped the fence after Edwin’s -- like after Jose’s. And I hit the cooler and almost tripped. There may have been more emotion last year ... and they scored when we threw the ball back to the pitcher.”
Justin Smoak: “Both won us games, there’s no difference in their importance.”
THE GOOD: Bautista homered for the Jays first run. Of Bautista’s 23 homers this season, 17 have put the Jays ahead and each of his last seven homer have either tied or given Toronto a lead ... Fine defensive plays abounded: Pillar made a diving grab on Manny Machado in right centre in the at-bat before Mark Trumbo hit a two-run homer off Marcus Stroman; SS Troy Tulowitzki dove in the hole, righted himslef and fired strike and 3B Josh Donaldson bare-handed a chopper down the line ... Walkoff homers in winner-take-all postseason games: Aaron Boone, Bill Mazeroski, Chris Chambliss and Encarnacion.
THE BAD: Facing reliever Mychal Givens in the fifth with the score tied and runners on first and third after Saunders and Pillar doubled and Carrera had a run-scoring single, Devon Travis hit the first pitch and grounded into a double play. Carrera singled with one and rather than giving Carrera a chance for a steal Travis when foul bunt, foul bunt ... take a seat.
THE VOICE: The next time Rogers Communications hires someone -- this time actor Kiefer Sutherland -- to do a voice over for the Blue Jays, why not hire someone like Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) or Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC). Jenkins earned $1.38 million US in his 19-year Hall of Fame career, according to Baseball-reference.
Kiefer’s father Donald Sutherland was tabbed as the Monteal Expos “No. 1 fan” during their September runs of the late 1970s and early 1980s because he would phone from on location and have a phone placed next to the radio to listen to Dave Van Horne. That is certainly a fan, but we always thought the No. 1 fan would be someone like a guy working overtime at Molson’s to purchase season’s tickets.
WE WANT BUCK: How long did it take? One inning or two before Jays fans began complaining about the TBS broadcasters? This year Ernie Johnson, Ron Darling and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken were in the booth. A year ago Harold Reynolds of the FOX TV crew which also included Tom Verducci and Joe Buck drew the ire of fans for a comment about Canadians not being able to catch foul balls.
Complain all you want, but this is avoidable. Rogers Communications owns the rights to post-season games in Canada. Rogers decided against spending money on production costs. So regular-season broadcasters Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler are hanging around doing pre and post-game interviews.
CANCON: There were three Canadians on the Blue Jays roster: C Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.), DH Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC) and OF Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.). The Milwaukee Brewers were the last team to have three Canucks in the 2011 post season.
RP John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), C George Kottaras (Markham, Ont.) and Taylor Green (Comox, BC). The Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Axford was 1-0 with 1.29 ERA and three saves. Kottaras was hitless in eight at-bats, while Green was hitless in two at-bats.
The previous three Canucks were on the same post-season roster was the 2004 Minnesota Twins.
With 1B Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC), 3B Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) and RHP Jesse Crain (Toronto, Ont.) all played for Minnesota in the 2004 AL Division Series won by the New York Yankees in four games. Koskie hit .308 (4-for-13) with a double and two RBIs, while Morneau batted .235 (4-for-17) with two RBIs, while Crain faced two hitters in Game 4 allowing a single to Derek Jeter and retiring Alex Rodriguez on a ground ball out.