Donaldson’s walkoff single finishes comeback
David Price got the huge ovation, but the night belonged to Josh Donaldson.
It was the Jays third baseman who put the cap on a tremendous week for the organization — including the arrival of left-hander David Price Friday night — with a clutch, game-winning hit in the Jays’ 7-6 win over Kansas City in 11 innings.
“I don’t think I’ve faced (Franklin) Morales ever,” Donaldson said of his 11th inning heroics, an RBI single off the Royals lefty that brought in Troy Tulowitzki with the game-winning run.
“In that position, at 3-1in the count, I looked for a pitch I could drive. He came in with a borderline high pitch, so at 3-2, I’m in a line-drive approach so I can drive in Tulo. That 3-2 pitch, he left it over the plate and I didn’t miss it, which turned out good.”
It was Donaldson’s third walkoff hit of the season, another reason why he has been the Jays’ most valuable player so far.
Of course, Price took a bow when the fans noticed him in the dugout early in the game, and the big lefty spoke with the media after watching one of the most exciting Jays wins of the season. It was the first loss of the season for the defending American League champions when they led in the sixth inning.
The win also moved the Jays two games over .500 at 53-51. With so many promising additions, and with a league-leading offence in place, Toronto and its fans have been anticipating a streak of wins that will take them toward the New York Yankees and the top spot in the American League East. The Jays have taken the first two games of this four-game set against the Royals, so that streak could be coming together.
Donaldson, for his part, added another impressive performance in a season already full of them; he went 3-for-5 at the plate, driving in four runs and scoring one himself. He had a key blow — a two-run double in the third inning — off the tricky Johnny Cueto, making his Royals debut after a trade from Cincinnati earlier in the week.
Cueto rarely shows hitters the same thing twice. When a hitter steps up for his next at bat, he’s almost certain to see a different set of pitches, different deliveries, different rhythms. The Jays were down 3-0 when Ezequiel Carrera started the third-in- ning rally with a perfect bunt single, which was followed by a Kevin Pillar single and a Ryan Goins fielder’s choice. Pillar broke up a double play on Goins grounder with a textbook hard slide into second. Then came Donaldson, who watched all of Cueto’s deliveries and fought off some excellent fastballs before smashing the sixth pitch of the at-bat, an apparent split-finger fastball, off the wall in left field for two.
The game was decided by one final detail, a battle of the bullpens. Aaron Sanchez, Roberto Osuna, Brett Cecil and Liam Hendricks combined to retire the final 12 Royals in order and give their team a chance for a hero to shine through.
Donaldson obliged them in the bottom of the 11th.