Rangers take lead on bizarre play in Game 5 of ALDS

ROYAL RESPONSE – The Royals refused to give up, earning a 2-0 win in Game 5 behind the pitching of Danny Jackson and narrowing the Jays’ lead to 3-2 heading back to Toronto. Toronto Blue Jays Marco Estrada, center, celebrate with fans after winning Game 5 of baseball’s American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, October 14, 2015, in Toronto. The others were the 2001 New York Yankees and the 2012 San Francisco Giants. “They both went above and beyond what they normally do”.

“That’s baseball”, third baseman Adrian Beltre said, stunned that he doesn’t have another game to play. “Besides Joe Carter, that’s got to be the biggest home run in Blue Jays history”. Game 1 is Friday night in Kansas City. “I gave us the lead in a crucial moment so I was happy to do that”.

“You’re not going to make every play, but it was a tough inning for us”, said Moreland, who made only four errors in the regular season.

Then came the collapse of the Rangers defence, and a historic home run by Jose Bautista, whose ostentatious bat-flip triggered a deafening, rollicking roar from 49,742 fans and the first of two dugout-clearing congregations.

“That was insane”, Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman said. Toronto fans pelted the field with debris during the 18-minute delay.

Things devolved further in the bottom half as the Rangers made three errors to load the bases with none out. Home plate umpire and crew chief Dale Scott called time as Odor was running, leading to much confusion. Aaron Sanchez came in for the seventh and needed one more out when catcher Russ Martin made one of the oddest errors on record.

“Relief, man – I don’t even know if that’s the right word”, Martin said. “It’s never happened in my life before. We can prove ourselves in more ways than one”. “If there’s no intent, if he’s not out of the box, that throw is live”. With two outs, Bautista rifled an RBI double into the left-field corner to cut the Texas lead to 2-1.

According to the official rules, if the batter interferes with the catcher’s throw to retire a runner by stepping out of the batter’s box, interference shall be called on the batter under Rule 6.03 (a) (3).

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons argued and fans littered the field as they booed.

Roberto Osuna may be the youngest member of the Toronto Blue Jays, but his teammates insist he doesn’t act like it.

No need for the paperwork, though. The Blue Jays got the tying run when Odor failed to catch Josh Donaldson’s blooper to short right but recovered quickly enough to get a force at second as Kevin Pillar crossed the plate. “I feel like I let down my team and my city”.

Pompey was forced at home on Revere’s grounder to first.

DeShields scored when catcher Russell Martin’s throw back to Sanchez on a 2-2 count hit Choo’s bat and went to the left side of the infield.

Next time up, Encarnacion launched the homer that nudged the BlueJays toward the outcome they fought so hard to achieve, and seemed, after the first two games, destined to miss. “This is his first opportunity on a national stage and he rose to the occasion”. Dyson then had a few comments for Tulowitzki as the Rangers walked back to their dugout and appeared to tap the Toronto shortstop on the hip.

“I told him Jose needs to calm that down, respect the game a little more”, Dyson said. Police later took position on the roof of the Rangers’ first base dugout before the bottom of the ninth.

The benches cleared twice during the 53-minute inning.