American League Divisional Series Game 5

In Game 2 of the series, Hamels gave up just two runs in seven innings while striking out six players.

Texas Rangers center fielder Delino DeShields (7) heads to batting practice as the Rangers play the Blue Jays in game five of the ALDS.

The benches cleared twice during the 53-minute inning.

Dillon Rahkola, a Torontonian now living in Adelaide, Australia, will be waking early to watch the game, as he has done for the rest of this series.

Texas will send their hired gun acquired at the trade deadline, Cole Hamels to the mound in the game five showdown.

The South Korean showed that he’s capable of rising to the occasion Wednesday after hitting a solo home run off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman in the top of the second inning. He won 13 games, struck out 215 batters, and had a 3.65 ERA through 212.1 innings pitched. In the first game of the night, the Jays are favorites to win at 1.50, but we can not forget that the Rangers beat them in Toronto, which is why they are not too far behind at 2.70.

The Rangers scored a run in the first after center fielder Delino DeShields led off with a double against the left field fence. Dalton Pompey slid hard into catch Chris Gimemez, who was standing on home plate. The RBI snapped Fielder’s 22-game postseason drought without one. The A’s blew a lead in 2001 against the Yankees, while Cincinnati wasted a 2-0 lead against the 2012 Giants. For the team’s playoff run, it will be known as “Blue Jays Way”.

Left fielder Ben Revere hit a one-out single that bounced high off Hamels’ glove before being fielded by shortstop Elvis Andrus. Lefties hit.228/.288/.378 against Dickey during the regular season.

Revere moved to third on third baseman Josh Donaldson’s groundout to short.

Jose Bautista stretches it out yesterday during an optional practice at the Rogers Centre. Yes, I said it, I simply don’t like it. I get that he is a proven big game pitcher, and that he has proven time and time again that he can pitch in these situations. The slugger left Game 1 with a strained back but returned with two hits in Game 4.

“Look, he’s a tough opponent”, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Tuesday as his team worked out in Texas before flying to Toronto.

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos sat in the back row of the press conference room Tuesday and listened as Gibbons and Stroman addressed the media.

Gibbons asked for a video review.