Round 1 HF: '87 Jays outlast '13 Rays in 5 games.

Game 1 – Tropicana Field

Key vs Price

Blue Jays 10, Rays 2

David Price dominated Jimmy Key and the Jays for 6 innings, until Toronto scored 3 runs in the top of the 7^th.  Tony Fernandez’s two out bases clearing double turned a 1-0 Rays lead into a 3-1 deficit.  Ben Zobrist answered with a two out knock of his own to make it a one run ball game, but then the floodgates opened up in the top of the 8^th.  Kelly Gruber’s 3 run homer and Fernandez’s 2 run triple were responsible for 5 of the 7 runs that the Jays would score that inning.  Price, who left after 6 2/3 innings gave up 3 runs on 6 hits.  Peralta and Farnsworth were solely responsible for the 8^th inning debacle.  Key would get the win allowing 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 1/3 innings.  Mark Eichorn and Duane Ward finished out the game that went from a nerve wracking pitcher’s duel to a blowout.  Fernandez’s (2-5) had 5 RBI’s on the day.  George Bell (2-5, 2RBI) and Gruber (2-5, 3RBI) each hit homers.

Blue Jays lead series 1-0

Game 2

Clancy vs Cobb

Rays 7, Blue Jays 0

Rays pitchers:  Cobb, McGee and Gomes combined to shutout the Jays in a dominating combined 3 hitter.  Jays starter Jim “I’m not Tom” Clancy was tagged for 6 runs (5 earned) over 5.  The Jays offense attack was balanced.  Leadoff man Desmond Jennings (2-4) had 2 runs scored, 2 RBI’s, a walk, a triple and a homer.  Loney, Longoria and Scott all had 2 hit days.  Everyone reached base except Matt Joyce as the Rays evened out the series.

Series tied 1-1

Game 3 – Exhibition Stadium

M.Moore vs Steib

Rays 8, Blue Jays 9

With 3 runs in the bottom of the 6^th the Jays rallied back to tie the game at 5 apiece on the heels of a pinch hit homer by Ernie Whitt.  A 2 run blast by James Loney in the following inning to put the Rays back up for good.  Wil Myers knocked in 3 on the day by going 2 for 3.  Matt Joyce was 3 for 4 as the Rays scored 8 runs on 11 hits

Rays lead series 2-1

Game 4

Archer vs Flanagan

Blue Jays 7, Rays 2

Down 2-1 in a best of 5 series meant that game 4 was do or die for the Jays.  There was a

temptation to bring ace Jimmy Key back on short notice, but that was given the kibosh with late season pickup Mike Flanagan chomping at the bit to take the ball.  Flanagan who was acquired from the O’s down the stretch to help plug some leaks in the Jay’s sinking ship, did not disappoint.  He went 8 innings and gave up one lonesome run in the top of the 2^nd.  With the Jays offense in full gear (7 runs on 8 hits) Flanagan was able to dial it back to cruise control.  Five runs in the bottom of the 3^rd off of Jays starter Archer virtually sealed the deal.  A 2 spot the following inning put the game out of reach with Flanagan in total control.  Toronto spread the wealth around with 5 guys accounting for 7 RBI’s.  “Crime Dog” Fred McGriff’s 3 run blast was the big blow in the five run 3^rd.  Ernie Whitt hit a solo shot 5 batters earlier.

Series tied 2-2

Game 5 – Tropicana field

Key vs Price

Blue Jays 2, Rays 1

Often times a decisive game 5 never lives up to the billing or the hype.  In this matchup you had a repeat of game 1 starters, who dueled each other for 6 nerve wracking innings in the series opener.  Pundits expected more of the same, and for one of the rare times, their prediction lived up to the marquee.  From the start it didn’t look that way as Desmond Jennings led off the game with a two bagger that narrowly missed being a round tripper.  Two batters later James Loney singled him home to stake David Price to an early 1-0 lead.  Key tightened the grip and fanned Longoria and Myers to end the inning without any further damage.  Toronto struck right back in the top of the 7^th when backup catcher Charlie Moore doubled with 2 out and second baseman Manny Lee tripled him home.  That’s where the scoring would end and the two lefties began setting batters aside one after another.  That was until the top of the 6^th, when with one out slugger George Bell hit a tape measure shot off of Price to make it 2-1 Jays.  Bell’s 3^rd roundtripper of the series would turn out to be the decisive blow, but not without a few theatrics to come.  The bottom of the 8^th started out fine for Key, who got Jennings to line out to the opposite field.  A hard hit Zobrist single and a mound trip, which revealed Key to be running out of gas, led to Jeff Musselman’s arrival on the scene.  Musselman would face one batter and throw 5 pitches before getting that batter, James Loney, to fly out to Lloyd Moseby in shallow center.   Next up came Evan Longria, Tampa’s most lethal bat.  No way he was going to see the lefty Musselman, so the Jays went to the pen and brought in Nunez, which was a curious choice since closer Tom Henke was more than capable of getting 4 outs in a game.  Nunez tried to work Longoria, but on the 7^th pitch of the at bat Tampa’s All-Star third baseman hit a bullet off the wall in left.  Zobrist, who was moving on the pitch, rounded third full speed and was waived home.  Since LF’er George Bell is not known for having an arm like his counterpart in right (Jesse Barfield), this two out move by Tampa was a no brainer.  Bell, knowing full well he didn’t have the arm to get the ball to the plate hit gold glove shortstop Tony Fernandez with a cut off.  Fernandez pivoted and threw a dart to catcher Ernie Whitt, who blocked the plate and tagged Zobrist for the 3^rd out of the inning.  That play turned out to be the turning point in the series.  Tom Henke would come on in the 9^th to set the Rays down in order to clinch the series for the Jays.

Blue Jays win series 3-2

Special Thanks to Ron Burnette, who after a year’s absence from KOD returned to participate in this classic event.  After game 5 we chatted about the Longoria double and the play at the plate and we both agreed that you have to send the runner with two outs and a 70% chance of making it.  That was just good smart baseball.  It took 4 games for us to get a nail biter, but it sure was worth it.