ALDS Game 2: Texas Rangers top Toronto Blue Jays in 14 innings

By Tim Haberin |

No team wants to fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-five playoff series. Doing so after a 14-inning loss makes it an even tougher pill to swallow.

After dropping yesterday’s ALDS opener to the Texas Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays fell again in Game 2 by a score of 6-4. The contest featured its share of twists, turns and controversy over the course of its 14 frames.

The Rangers immediately put the Jays on the defensive by scoring a pair of runs in the first inning off Toronto starter Marcus Stroman. Josh Donaldson, who was forced to leave yesterday’s game early after receiving a knock to the head, responded in the bottom half of the frame by sending a Cole Hamels pitch deep over the center field wall.

Texas scored its third run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Hanser Alberto, filling in a third base for an ailing Adrian Beltre. The Blue Jays struck right back, getting two runs off Hamels in the bottom of the second to tie the score at 3-3.

Jays left fielder Ben Revere singled in a run in the fifth to give Toronto its first lead of the series. Hamels would exit the game after the seventh inning in line for the loss.

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Stroman pitched into the eighth but was removed after allowing a leadoff single to Rangers center fielder Delino DeShields. That would prove to be a costly baserunner for Toronto, as pinch-hitter Mike Napoli drove in DeShields with an RBI single off reliever Brett Cecil.

Both bullpens held firm over the next five innings. The 13th proved to be an eventful one, as Josh Donaldson and Rangers relief pitcher Keone Kela exchanged some heated words after the former hooked a pitch foul. Both benches cleared, and players in the Toronto clubhouse were coy about the incident after the game.

Two batters later, Edwin Encarnacion launched a deep fly ball to left-center that looked like it could be a walk-off homer, but DeShields reeled it in on the warning track.

As afternoon turned into early evening and the game shifted to the 14th, it seemed like it would be yet another futile turn for the Rangers offense. 21-year veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins secured the first two outs of the frame before giving up a single to Texas second baseman Rougned Odor.

Catcher Chris Gimenez followed up with a base hit of his own, and then Hanser Alberto nabbed his second RBI of the day with a go-ahead single. Liam Hendriks came on in relief of Hawkins but allowed an infield hit to Delino DeShields that plated the Rangers’ sixth run. The Jays failed to score in the bottom of the 14th, falling by a final score of 6-4.

The Blue Jays, who were not long ago the hottest team in baseball, now find themselves leaving the familiar confines of the Rogers Centre facing potential elimination. They will look to start clawing their way back on Sunday night as they send Marco Estrada to the hill against the Rangers’ Martin Perez. Meanwhile, Texas has its eyes on clinching its third ALCS berth in six years on its home turf.

Next: Kershaw set to slay playoff demons

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