With the hopes of an entire country on their back, the Toronto Blue Jays smashed their way into the 2016 ALDS with a walk-off three-run homer in the 11th inning.
Edwin Encarnacion crushed the Ubaldo Jimenez offering over the wall in left, bringing nearly 50,000 fans in attendance at the Rogers Centre to their feet. With the game in extra innings and the Baltimore Orioles as the road team, the best closer in the league never even got a chance.
“Nobody has been pitching better for us than Ubaldo,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said . “It didn’t work out.”
The walk-off win sets up an American League Divisional Series matchup against the Texas Rangers. The two teams faced in the 2015 playoffs, with Toronto beating Texas in five games. The two teams brawled nearly every time they met this regular season, which makes the stakes even higher for this 2016 ALDS meeting.
“It’s going to be a very interesting series, and we’re looking forward to it,” Encarnacion said.