Jays use extra innings again to defeat Indians
Lawrie’s bat, speed make big difference
First, Brett Lawrie broke up a no-hitter. Then he scorched the basepaths to score what proved to be the deciding run. Finally, he made a diving stop on defence that helped preserve a victory for the Toronto Blue Jays.
And when he scored that run and raced toward the dugout, his manager knew what to do: get out of the way.
“He’s on a dead sprint into the bat rack,” John Farrell said. “You stand clear.”
The high-energy Canadian was among the key contributors to the Blue Jays’ 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday afternoon. It took 12 innings, which was brief compared to the first game of the series, which Toronto won in 16, also by reversing an early deficit.
Lawrie was on first base and Edwin Encarnacion on third when Rajai Davis broke a 3-3 tie with a double in the 12th. As he made his turn at first, Davis saw Lawrie was hell-bent to score.
“I was watching him flying around those bases when I turned the corner,” Davis said with a smile. “He was already turning the corner from third. I was like, ‘The kid can run.’”
Earlier, Lawrie had ruined Ubaldo Jimenez’s bid for a no-hitter with a two-run single that tied the score at twos in the seventh. That was his first hit of the young season. He would add two more, including one that helped spark the rally in the 12th.
And when Davis’ double forced centre-fielder Mickey Brantley into the right-centre field gap, Lawrie turned on the jets, slid home in a cloud of dust and roared into the dugout.
“I was pumped up, just because it’s a big point in the game,” Lawrie said. “We got a chance to get ahead there by a few runs and kind of give our bullpen some breathing room. So it was just a good time to get the boys fired up. It was good. It was a lot of fun.”
Observed Davis: “He’s got a lot of energy, and I think it rubs off on guys.”
The Jays added two more in the 12th. Cleveland scored once in the bottom half against Francisco Cordero, but Lawrie squelched that rally by diving into the hole to rob Shelley Duncan of a single and getting a force at second for the second out.
By the time it ended, it seemed eons had passed since Jimenez and Toronto starter Brandon Morrow staged a duel of nohitters in the early innings.
With nearly five frames in the books, Jimenez had a perfect game, Morrow a no-hitter with two walks. each wound up pitching seven innings, allowing only one hit and two runs (Morrow’s were unearned). Each walked three and struck out three.
Casey Janssen worked two perfect relief innings after Sergio Santos gave up the Cabrera homer in the ninth. That is the lone run surrendered so far by the Toronto bullpen in 16 innings.