KANSAS CITY鈥擳he Royals are going back to the World Series and the Blue Jays are going back to the drawing board.
On Friday at Kauffman Stadium, the defending American League champs to capture the ALCS in six games. The Jays had been 4-0 to that point in the post-season when facing elimination, but a was not enough.
Daring base-running, a Royals鈥 hallmark, by Lorenzo Cain who scored from first in the bottom of the eighth on a single onto the right field line by Eric Hosmer. It came two batters after a 45-minute rain delay. Jays outfielder Jose Bautista took the ball on one hop, spun and fired to second base, holding Hosmer to a single but Cain never hesitated around third and beat the relay from shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez had been on the mound ready to face Cain when the rain arrived and the field was covered. Afterward, manager John Gibbons went to his closer, Roberto Osuna.
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Royals closer Wade Davis, in the top of the ninth, had the tying run at third with nobody out and escaped with two strikeouts and a groundball by Josh Donaldson.
The Jays gave it their best effort. Trailing by two runs, looking desperately for a stay of execution, Bautista turned on a Ryan Madson fastball and crushed it, scoring Ben Revere ahead of him, tying a game the Jays had to win against a bullpen that was impenetrable.
Suddenly, the compilation of the most important home runs in Jays franchise history is being overrun by a series of Bautista bombs. There was the game-winner in ALDS Game 5 against the Rangers and now a two-run blast that tied Game 6 of the ALCS just five outs from elimination. The final result takes this one down a notch, but it was an electric moment. The eighth-inning blast was his second homer of the game, the first time that has happened in franchise history. He leads the Jays with four post-season homers, ahead of Donaldson and three others.
For his part, Price was very good. He was brought on board by GM Alex Anthopoulos as an inspiration, a saviour, a prophet to lead the Blue Jays back to the Promised Land. That he was unable to do so as a playoff starter ended up sinking Toronto鈥檚 World Series hopes, though they managed to play 11 meaningful games in October, something they had not done since 1993.
But what will fans remember?
If someone had suggested the Jays could go to the World Series with Price being winless in three starts, people would have thought them crazy. Fact is, Price had entered the game with no wins and seven losses as a starter in the post-season for the Rays, Tigers and Jays. He did win a decision in relief as a rookie with the Rays back in 2008 and another in Game 4 of the ALDS against Texas, taking over from R.A. Dickey when the knuckleballer was within one out of qualifying for the victory.
鈥淭rying to be too good, trying to be maybe too fine or whatever it is,鈥 Price had reached for an explanation prior to Friday鈥檚 game. 鈥淚 know what I鈥檓 capable of doing. I think everybody in this room knows what I鈥檓 capable of doing. And I think I just kind of want to do it too bad. And it鈥檚 been long overdue for me to get a win as a starter in the playoffs.鈥
The seven losses in a row as a starter in the playoffs tied the record set by Hall of Fame left-hander Randy Johnson. After that streak, the Big Unit did reel off five straight wins and won a World Series with the Diamondbacks. Price certainly has time to turn that portion of his career around.
Price allowed solo home runs in each of the first two innings. The second batter of the game, former Price teammate Ben Zobrist, launched his second home run of the series into the left field seats for an early lead. In the second inning came some real October controversy.
Mike Moustakas launched a high line drive to right field. A young fan leaned over the fence to make the catch, with replays showing the glove when it contacted the baseball was below the top of the wall and, as such, could have been called a double by the umpires. After a quick review, the crew decided it was inconclusive.
The incident was similar to another ALCS home run call on Oct. 9, 1996, when a 12-year-old Yankee fan reached out and caught a ball hit by Derek Jeter with Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco poised, he said, to make the catch. The call stood and the Yankees went on to win the series. In this case, Bautista was not in position to make the catch, but Price managed to strike out the next two Royals.
In any case, the baseball gods were not going to allow that play to determine this game. The Royals鈥 lead was two runs after two innings and media was hastily making flight arrangements home. Not so fast. With one out in the fourth, Bautista found a juicy 3-1 pitch from Royals starter Yordano Ventura and launched it 428 feet to left field, off the facing of the scoreboard just under George Brett鈥檚 famous No. 5. That narrowed the deficit to 2-1. Bautista had driven in a run in four straight games.
Price pitched into the seventh inning, leaving with two outs and a runner on second base trailing 2-1. But Sanchez couldn鈥檛 finish the job, with former Jays right fielder Alex Rios ripping a single to left driving in Moustakas for the Royals鈥 third run.
But the last laugh went to the victorious Royals, who move on to face the Mets in the World Series beginning Tuesday.
The Jays, meanwhile, head home with bittersweet feelings on a great season as the country came together for baseball like no time since 1993.
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