Blue Jays Game 5 Victory Over Rangers 6 to 3, Come Back From Two Games Behind To Win ALDS

Toronto was host to the fifth game in the American League Division Series between the hometown Blue Jays and visiting Texas Rangers at the Rogers Centre last night. The Blue Jays had been down 2-0 in the ALDS series but were able to fight back and take the division series title with a three-in-a-row winning streak that ushered the team’s path into the American League Championship Series; the battle for the pennant.

The Blue Jays beat the Rangers 6-3, with the seventh inning taking almost an hour to complete, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

In the bottom of the inning, the Rangers held a 3-2 lead, and the Blue Jays were at bat. Russell Martin hit a single, which was followed by a Kevin Pillar single, putting runners on first and second, to much exuberance from those gathered. Dalton Pompey was substituted for Martin. Pompey promptly moved to steal third base, to thunderous ovation from the Toronto crowd. He would have succeeded, but it didn’t matter because Ryan Goins skillfully bunted down the third base line, loading the bases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY1DBkMciVQ

So it was a bottom of the seventh, 3-2, bases loaded situation, with Ben Revere hitting a single and the Rangers forcing Pompey out in a controversial play at home plate. Controversial in that Texas Manager Jeff Banister argued the call with umpires, looking for two outs and a double play.

After lengthy discussion, following a reported three errors by the Texas Rangers in the one inning, the original call stood. The bases were loaded, with one out.

Josh Donaldson hit a looping single to mid center field. The ball hit the ground before any Texas player could catch it, allowing the Blue Jays to score. Texas was able to force the out at second base, leaving Toronto with two outs and Jose Bautista at bat.

In what is said “might become the signature moment of the postseason by the time we’re done,” by Yahoo Sports, Bautista blasted a home run to deep left field. Fans at Rogers Centre applauded Bautista with booming cheers; their pride was evident. The three-run missile launched the Blue Jays ahead, 6-3, and the rest is history.

Bautista has played in the MLB for 11 seasons and hit 40 home runs in the regular season while maintaining a batting average of.250. The Dominican Republic native is in a five-year $64 million contract that expires in 2015, according to Baseball-Reference.

The Toronto crowd was reported to have delayed play while they rained garbage upon the field, officials, and players, helping to extend a seventh inning already extended by house-rousing baseball.

The Blue Jays last won a post-season matchup in 1993, when the wildly popular Toronto team won its second World Series in a row. Fans in Toronto and across all of Canada will be watching to see how the country’s only MLB team fares against the mighty Kansas City Royals, whom the Blue Jays have met in the post-season before.

Toronto lost to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS, 4-3. The Blue Jays had a 0.534 2015 regular season win-loss percentage. Kansas City carried a regular season win-loss percentage of.589, according to MLB. The meeting of the two old rivals is sure to be intriguing. Can Jose Bautista continue to pull through in the clutch moments and lead Toronto to a 2015 World Series?

The Blue Jays will be facing the Kansas City Royals at the Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City in the series’ first game. The game is scheduled for 7:30 pm Friday, October 16, according to MLB. Two games will be played in Kansas, three in Toronto and, if necessary, two final games will be played in Kansas.

[Feature Photo by Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images]