The beginning of the ninth inning saw the Jays ahead 2-1. Jordan Romano comes in at second base to replace Davis Schneider, who is replaced defensively by Isiah Kiner Falafa. Jordan Westburg, the first batter, hit a ground ball up the middle, but IKF was unable to make the play because it took an odd hop. Adley Rutschman, the following batter, smashes a fly ball that just misses the wall in right. That constituted the game.
With only five hits (and only one after the third inning), you don’t expect to win. But in the third inning, the Jays scored two runs. After George Springer doubled with one out (off the third base bag), Vlad Guerrero singled. Following that, both runs scored when Bo Bichette sliced a double off Anthony Santander’s glove that ought to have been caught and it hit the right field wall.
It continued like that through the bottom of the ninth.
The fifth was our opportunity. A walk was taken by Daulton Varsho. Though it was declared strike three, Vlad accepted ball four. Vlad nearly got himself thrown out after making a poor call—one of several today. In order to load the bases, Bo Bichette and Danny Jansen walked. Though he lined out to the left, Davis Schneider reached a full count (with a few questionable calls).
Six walks and just five hits, as I mentioned before. Bo recorded two hits. Kiermaier 0 had the other hits, Vlad, and Springer (on a walk). That Yusei Kikuchi was amazing. In the first inning, he gave up a home run and five more hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. After just 88 pitches and 4.1 innings, he was removed from the game. Why? With one out, Yusei allowed Adley Rutschman to reach base for a single, and John Schneider substituted Zach Pop. I wasn’t content. Kikuchi started to roll.
