Toronto Blue Jays walk off for ninth straight win (Video)
By Hayden Kane
In the big picture, the story of the 2014 season for the Toronto Blue Jays is their offense. Led by mashers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, they have a lineup full of guys who can leave the yard at anytime.
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In the last two weeks, however, the story of Toronto’s nine game winning streak has been their ability to find a way to win in closely contested affairs. That was the case when they swept the Oakland Athletics this past weekend, and it was the case on Wednesday night as they earned a gritty 3-2 walk-off victory over the Tampa Bay Rays to make it a nine game winning streak.
The Blue Jays set themselves up for a late win by making a number of slick plays on defense. Example would include this great catch by Anthony Gose at the outfield wall or this catch by Melky Cabrera at the wall.
That left the Blue Jays in position to take advantage of a lucky break late and secure another win to extend their streak. In this case it was about as exciting as things get when it comes to a walk-off error. An errant throw to first base on what was initially meant to be a sacrifice bunt sent Jays baserunner Kevin Pillar off to the races.
With their emphasis on playing good defense, the Rays are not a team you would expect to lose a game this way. It must have just been that much more sickening, then, for Joe Maddon and company to watch Pillar slide under the tag at the plate and seal the victory.
Next up the Blue Jays will try to continue their hot streak against the sputtering Kansas City Royals at home in the Rogers Centre. Here is video of the thrilling final play of Wednesday’s win.