Young Toronto Blue Jays fan with painted Jose Bautista beard ‘homers

The wild seventh inning between the Blue Jays and Rangers is getting its own TV special. There’s the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1996 ALDS when Rangers starting pitcher Darren Oliver and woebegone closer Mike Henneman coughed up a lead to the Yankees. He got Russell Martin to ground up the middle. Dalton Pompey was substituted for Martin.

Then in the seventh inning, Oscar felt good and really laid into his ghost swing from the nosebleed seats where he and his family, from Barrie, Ont., was sitting – and Bautista delivered with the historic home run. The bases were loaded, with one out.

For several emotional minutes, it appeared that Portland resident Dale Scott would be at the center of a controversial play that decided the American League Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers. [Photo by Tom Szczerboski / Getty Images]Josh Donaldson hit a looping single to mid center field.

Then, and only then, would Joey Bats begin to trot out the home run that would ensure the Blue Jays’ first postseason series victory since 1993. Now with 2 outs because the force out to revere on 2nd the game was all tied up with runners on the corners for Jose Bautista.

On the surface, the pitching in this series seemingly swings in favor of the Blue Jays. Consider what went before this home run in this inning, that it’s the deciding game of a playoff series, that Bautista just made his hometown crowd revved up beyond belief with the ball soaring into the seats (and I can only imagine how loud the Rogers Centre must have been with the roof closed).

This makes you think: Can the Blue Jays be stopped?

“That’s the strength of this club, the ability to put the ball in play is key”, Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The Royals are coming off a five-game win over the Houston Astros in the ALDS while the Blue Jays beat the Rangers in five games after falling behind 0-2 in the series.

On Wednesday night in Toronto, two great teams locked horns in a win-or-go-home game that had fans holding their breath with every pitch.

Toronto lost to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS, 4 to 3.

“We moved to Canada six years ago and had never seen a baseball game live, but we moved and somehow we got swept up in Blue Jays fever and the children got hooked”, she said. No line is out yet but I lean Kansas City… The meeting of the two old rivals is sure to be intriguing. “Obviously, that series in Toronto (earlier this year) was two competitive teams”. Volquez will start for the Royals as they face the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 tomorrow. Game 1 is on Friday night.

No one will remember the first two-thirds of the game.