After a Blue Jays win, music often blasts through their clubhouse speakers.
Lately, there has not been much music pumping in the Blue Jays private quarters. Entering Thursday’s four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Blue Jays had lost 10 of their last 11 games at home.
But after their 5-4 extra-inning walk-off win against the Orioles at the Rogers Centre, there was a varied mix of jams flowing through the clubhouse from Green Day to Steve Miller Band. The mood inside the room was jovial, both because of the win — obviously — but also because of a reunion with former reliever Jason Grilli, who was in town with his father to watch the game from the seats behind the Blue Jays bullpen, and stopped by the clubhouse afterward to chat with his old teammates.
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There was a palpable sense of elation in the room. There was also a sense of relief.
“I think anytime you’re not playing well, a big comeback win late does a lot to the team, (it) feels great,” said outfielder Randal Grichuk, who doubled in a ninth-inning, three-run rally and later came around to score the tying run. “I mean you all hear it in this clubhouse — guys are going crazy. That’s the stuff that carries over and you create winning streaks from that.”
For a team that won only its second game in nine tries, talk of winning streaks may seem hasty. Entering Thursday, the Blue Jays had lost seven of their last eight and 10 of their last 13. Trailing by three runs in the ninth after the team had only mustered three runs over their previous 30 innings, it did not look promising for these Jays even against the lowly 19-41 Orioles.
But the team kept battling. Even in trying times, perseverance is a trait manager John Gibbons recognizes in his ball club.
“As tough as things have been, one thing I know about the guys, they show up,” he said. “They don’t quit.”
Aledmys Díaz did not quit in the 10th inning, even with two out and two strikes against him. As a result, he was the hero after his RBI single drove in the winning run. He was mobbed by his teammates at second base.
“We haven’t put our head down,” Díaz said through team interpreter Josue Peley about the team coming back. “We know it’s a long season and we know we have to grind, and it feels great to have a win like that and hopefully it’s going to keep going.”
Teoscar Hernández set up the 10th inning with a lead-off line drive to left field off former Blue Jay Miguel Castro that he stretched into a double, just barely sliding in before the throw to second. The risk paid off when Hernández came around to score the go-ahead run.
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“It’s one of those ones you go ‘uh oh, don’t, don’t, don’t’ then he’s safe and it’s like ‘great play,’” Gibbons said of Hernández’s risky double.
But the only reason the Blue Jays found themselves in extra innings was thanks to a ninth-inning rally. The Blue Jays were down 4-1 after the Orioles went ahead on a trio of solo home runs off relievers Tyler Clippard and John Axford in the seventh and eighth inning, respectively. The Jays were down to their last two outs when they started to knock around Orioles closer Brad Brach and their improbable three-run rally was born.
Luke Maile reached base on a five-pitch walk. Díaz followed with a double. Grichuk drove them both in with a double of his own. Devon Travis, pinch-hitting for third baseman Gio Urshela, walked to set up a situation with two on for the next batter, Kevin Pillar, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth.
Pillar — in the midst of an 0-for-6 stretch — singled to centre field and Grichuk was able to beat the throw to home to tie the game 4-4.
“Off the bat I thought it was definitely getting down,” he said of Pillar’s single. “And then I had to read it and saw it was down, or saw it was about to get down and took off. I thought (third base coach Luis Rivera) was going to stop me, but I was running hard and he sent me so luckily we were able to slide in there safe.”
The win meant that the Blue Jays did not waste a solid start from left-hander Jaime Garcia.
Garcia bounced back from his worst start of the season his last time out. After only lasting 1 2/3 innings against Detroit last Friday, the left-hander pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Orioles.
It was the Blue Jays fourth quality start in a row, a trend the team will certainly welcome as the starting staff has been patchy all season.
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“Our starting pitching has been pretty good and of course we got (J.A) Happ going tomorrow,” said Gibbons. “You expect a good solid outing out of him and I mean really that’s the key to everything. We didn’t score much going until late in the ballgame, but if you keep it close, at least you give yourself a chance.”
The one mark on Garcia’s night was that a blister formed on his index finger on his left hand around the third or fourth inning, he said after the game. However, the starter said he has dealt with blisters his entire career and it would not be an issue for his next scheduled start: “100 per cent no,” he said.
Gibbons also did not want to speculate on whether the blister would impact Garcia going forward.
“I got no idea,” he said. “I’m trying to enjoy the win.”
(Top photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports)