Toronto Blue Jays Defeat Orioles In Post-Season Wild Card Round

The Baltimore Orioles took on the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday night in an attempt to make it into the playoffs as the MLB Wild Card. It took 11 innings, but the Blue Jays walked away with the ticket to the post-season.

The Rogers Centre game began with Marcus Stroman on the pitchers’ mound. His first pitch was hit by the Orioles’ Adam Jones, and the ball flew straight out to center. The crowd was engaged and showing it, even during the first inning. Starting off strong, both teams’ pitchers required only 12 throws before moving on to the second inning.

Things heated up in the bottom of the second inning when Blue Jay Jose Bautista hit a home run to left field, putting Toronto in the lead 1-0. Bautista circled the bases while fans cheered and twirled their rally towels.

Stroman’s second inning was complemented by a perfect third inning. However, in the fourth, Trumbo of Baltimore brought home two points for the Orioles. Not to be outdone, Toronto prepared Joe Biagini to approach the mound.

The fifth inning saw Toronto’s Michael Saunders hit a double. Kevin Pillar then hit another double, which allowed Saunders to hit third. Another single from Carerra tied up the game as Saunders tapped home plate.

The sixth inning would be the last for Jays pitcher Stroman. Meanwhile, the Orioles benched Trumbo, who hit the double-run in the top of the fourth inning.

The crowd’s energy failed to dissipate over the night, and several Orioles players shrugged off several racial slurs heard from across the ballpark. In the seventh inning, the Orioles’ Hyun-soo Kim was nearly hit by a beer can thrown from the crowd into left field. The can was thrown as he waited for a fly ball hit by the Blue Jays. The toss ended in a showdown between Buck Showalter, the Baltimore manager, and the umpire.

Despite the events of the seventh inning, the score remained tied in the eighth and ninth innings. However, a double-play from a ball hit by Russell Martin was a highlight for Baltimore. The game headed into the 10th inning tied and left the 10th inning in the same state.

As they entered the 11th inning, Devon Travis of the Blue Jays hit a single. A single from Donaldson got Travis to third base. The game ended in storied fashion when Encarnacion hit a homer and sent all three players home for a final score of 5-2 to the Blue Jays.

The Toronto Police and the Rogers Centre, where the game was held, are reportedly investigating the incident involving the beer can.

The Toronto Police tweeted, “#Unsportsmanlike fan: turn yourself in. We have photos.”

This was not the first time fans had thrown cans of beer at players at the stadium. In 2015, Blue Jays fans threw cans of beer on the field during Game 5 of the post-season series against the Texas Rangers.

In 2013, another Toronto fan tossed a beer at a different Orioles player.

The Baltimore Orioles are now finished for the 2016 season.

The Blue Jays will head to Texas to take on the Rangers in Arlington. The Rangers team has issues across its starting line-up, particularly with its pitchers. However, the game is expected to be a lively one. The two teams clashed in the post-season last year, and during the May 15 game of this season, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays took a fist to the face from Rougned Odor of the Rangers at the beginning of the eighth inning, which was the start of a bloody brawl on the field.

[Featured Image by Michael Dwyer/AP Images]