Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves (center) celebrates with teammates after hitting a game winning RBI in the eleventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Truist Park on Sept. 8 in Atlanta.Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images
Sean Murphy’s infield ground ball with the bases loaded scored a sliding Eli White in the 11th inning, and the Atlanta Braves rallied for a gritty 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
The Braves now have 12 extra-inning wins, which leads the big leagues. They took two of three games from the Blue Jays and are tied with the New York Mets for the final wild card in a tight National League playoff race.
Atlanta got another brilliant outing from left-hander Chris Sale, who pitched six shutout innings. White entered the game as a defensive replacement at second base, which was just his fourth game in the big leagues at the position.
The Braves’ decisive rally started when White led off the 11th inning with a bunt single that advanced automatic runner Michael Harris II to third base. Adam Duvall then reached on an error by Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger, whose throw sailed wide to first and scored Harris to tie the game.
Murphy followed with the bouncing ball up the middle and White was able to score, sliding in ahead of the throw.
George Springer put the Blue Jays up 3-2 in the 11th with a bouncing single up the middle that scored Barger, who had advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Brian Serven.
Atlanta rallied twice for the crucial win.
Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, White reached first on a bouncing ball up the middle for a single. Marcell Ozuna followed with a single into the left-centre gap that moved White to third.
Matt Olson then lofted a long fly ball to left, easily scoring White for the sacrifice fly that tied it. It was Chad Green’s third straight blown save.
Braves reliever Raisel Iglesias (5-1) coaxed two straight weak ground balls with the bases loaded from Nathan Lukes and Barger to end the bases-loaded threat in the 10th. Atlanta pulled the infield in and Orlando Arcia was able to get the force out at home for the second out.
Iglesias worked two innings for the win.
Toronto’s Zach Pop (1-4) worked out of his own one-out, bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 10th, getting Ramon Laureano to pop up and retiring Michael Harris II on a lineout to centre
Pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1 in the eighth with a two-run homer. The blast came on a low slider from Joe Jimenez that the left-handed hitter golfed into the right field seats for a 2-1 lead. Ernie Clement led off the inning with a double down the third-base line that got under the glove of Gio Urshela.
It was the third homer in two games for Horwitz, who smacked two long balls in the Blue Jays’ 9-5 win on Saturday.
Sale – a leading contender for the NL Cy Young Award – sliced through the Blue Jays lineup with little trouble, relying on his usual pitch mix that was heavy on four-seam fastballs and a sweeping slider. He threw a season-high 113 pitches, finishing his outing by retiring Leo Jimenez on a fly out to right after an 11-pitch battle. The veteran struck out seven, walked one and hit two batters.
Toronto’s Yariel Rodriguez gave up one run on two hits over his five innings, walking one and striking out six.
Jarred Kelenic put the Braves up 1-0 in the second on a two-out homer to right-centre, which was his 15th long ball of the season. Sale now has an 8-1 record in games following an Atlanta loss.
The Blue Jays play host to the Mets on Monday for the start of a three-game series. New York will start RHP Paul Blackburn (5-4, 4.66 ERA). The Blue Jays haven’t announced a starter.