Josh Donaldson scored the winning run on an error to give the Blue Jays the series sweep of the Texas Rangers, advancing Toronto to the American League Championship Series with a 7-6 extra-innings victory.
Donaldson led off the tenth inning with a double, bringing up slugger Edwin Encarnacion. Rangers reliever Matt Bush issued him an intentional walk before striking out Jose Bautista, bringing Russell Martin to the plate. It was Martin's chopper that started the play that brought home the eventual winning run.
What. A. Win. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/cHN6p11F3v
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) October 10, 2016
Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna finished his second inning of work in the top of the tenth, striking out a pair of Texas batters before getting Ian Desmond to fly out to give the Blue Jays another chance at a walk-off.
Ninth inning - Still tied at 6
Osuna came into the game in the top of the ninth inning, and retired three Rangers in a row to take the game into the bottom half of the frame still tied at 6.
Bush then retired three Toronto hitters in a row to send the game to extra innings.
Sixth inning - Rangers score a pair to go up a run, but Jays tie it 6-6
After Aaron Sanchez's night came to an end after he walked Rougned Odor and allowed a single to Jonathan Lucroy, right-hander Joe Biagini came on in relief, but promptly allowed a double to Mitch Moreland to make it a 6-5 Rangers lead.
That lead only held for half an inning, though. Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki singled in the bottom half, advanced to third on a pinch hit from Melvin Upton Jr. and later scored on a passed ball to tie the game.
Fourth inning - Odor's homer puts Rangers back in it, trail 5-4
Odor, Public Enemy No. 1 to many Blue Jays fans, put the Rangers back in the game with a massive two-run shot to dead centre field, making it a one-run game.
.@RougnedOdor takes one out! A 2-run blast cuts into the Blue Jays lead, 5-4! #NeverEverQuit pic.twitter.com/woWWCW1Gs6
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 10, 2016
Third inning - Rangers narrow gap, but Blue Jays bounce back
Elivs Andrus put the Rangers within one after he hit a solo shot off a 96 miles-per-hour fastball from Sanchez.
But in the home half, reigning American League MVP Donaldson drove Rangers starter Colby Lewis from the game with a ground-rule double, which scored a run. Edwin Encarnacion then plated Donaldson with a single up the middle to make it a three-run Jays lead.
First inning - Blue Jays jump out to 3-1 lead
Encarnacion knocked his third homer of the postseason over the wall in left field - a two run shot - to put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1. Russell Martin then swatted a solo shot to make it a two-run Blue Jays lead.
Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS
In the top half, the Rangers got to Blue Jays starter Sanchez early, scoring once in the opening inning to take a 1-0 lead. Carlos Gomez took a leadoff walk, stole second, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a ground out.
Pre-game
Sanchez, Toronto's best pitcher, will take the mound in an attempt to finish off Texas.
Sanchez has had a roller coaster ride of a season. The club brass was dead-set on limiting his innings in an attempt to protect him from overuse, and at one point said he was destined for the bullpen. But Sanchez's success, which includes a 15-2 record with a 3.00 earned-run average, forced management to keep him in the rotation.
Lewis draws the start for Texas, hoping to extend the Rangers season another day.
Lewis, a 36-year-old right-hander, was 6-5 with a 3.71 ERA in the regular season. For his career at Rogers Centre, Lewis is 2-3 with a 5.61 ERA.
Who's in, who's out
The Blue Jays will be without starter/reliever Francisco Liriano, who suffered a concussion after taking a Carlos Gomez line drive off the back of the head on Friday. He was replaced on the Jays roster by right-hander Danny Barnes. Liriano can apply to return to active duty after seven days.
#BlueJays starting nine. Same as it ever was. pic.twitter.com/Hq6LW3jLQi
— Rob MacLeod (@RobMacLeodGlobe) October 9, 2016
Second-baseman Devon Travis was out of the starting lineup for the second game in a row. Travis, who's suffering from a knee injury, was a late scratch in Game 2.
Travis met with the training staff prior to the game, and the Blue Jays' public relations department said in a twitter post that he would "active" for the game.
How they got here
After a dramatic walk-off win over the Orioles in the AL wild-card game, the Blue Jays headed for Texas for the first two games of the ALDS against the top-ranked Rangers.
A pair of decisive victories there have put Toronto in position to sweep. A loss means the two teams will lock horns again Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
What else is new?
The club announced that beer would only be sold by the cup for the remainder of the team's playoff run after can-throwing incident in the wild-card game against Baltimore Orioles
.
No beer cans at Rogers Centre for remainder of Blue Jays postseason https://t.co/nHQFzNvv2R #bluejays #MLB #Toronto
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) October 9, 2016
In other Jays-related news, after the roof at Rogers Centre was open against the Orioles for the first time in Jays playoff history, it will be closed tonight because of cold temperatures.