It was just a baseball game after all, early in the season with really not all that much at stake.
But given the horrific events of the previous day that cost the lives of 10 people the Toronto Blue Jays are hoping their dramatic 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night will help in some small way with the healing.
“Hopefully that cheers some people up,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “It definitely cheered us up in there. It’s been a tough day for Toronto, the last couple of day and really, all of Canada.”
The night started off at Rogers Centre with the introduction of six of the first responders who attended the carnage on Young Street in North York on Monday afternoon after a van started mowing down pedestrians.
First responders who helped during Monday's deadly van rampage participate in the singing of the national anthem prior to the start of the Blue Jays game in Toronto on Tuesday.Fred Thornhill/The Canadian Press
It ended when Curtis Granderson cranked his fourth career walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning off Boston reliever Craig Kimbrel that broke a 3-3 tie.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Blue Jays while the loss for the Red Sox, holders of baseball’s best record over the first month of the season, was its third in a row.
For Granderson, it was quite a night.
The Blue Jays carried a 3-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning, only to see closer Roberto Osuna surrender two runs for his first blown save of the season.
After the second Boston run crossed the plate off a hit by Brock Holt, Eduardo Nunez was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a nice throw from left field by Granderson to catcher Russell Martin to preserve the tie score.
Granderson said he can’t ever remember a game in which he threw out the potential go-ahead run in the ninth inning and then won the game with a walk-off in the 10th.
“Having a game like today, having a lot of fans come out and continuing to support, and knowing that we have a good game against the Red Sox out here, was a big thing, not only for the city but for the country and for these fans,” Granderson said.
The game featured a great pitching duel between starters J.A. Happ for Toronto and Rick Porcello of the Red Sox.
Porcello allowed three Toronto runs – all in the second inning – off three hits to go with nine strikeouts over seven innings. But Happ was better, allowing just one run off four hits and 10 strikeouts through seven.
“I think the city’s hurting right now and I think, we had some first responders here today,” Happ said. “I hope they enjoyed the game. And if they stayed till the end – I think they did – I think it was a meaningful win for us on several levels.”