Legendary Joey Bats returns as Blue Jays sport City Connect uniforms

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A sigh of relief was palpable once news began to circulate that Pittsburgh’s two best pitchers wouldn’t be available during the Pirates’ weekend stay in Toronto. Paul Skenes, the first overall pick from last year’s draft, has been a major revelation, while Jared Jones has shown his mettle.

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Turns out the Jays’ bats would, dare we say, falter with Bailey Falter on the mound, a savvy southpaw who wasn’t afraid to come inside with his fastball.

Falter pitched six shutout innings on Friday night at the Rogers Centre, allowing only two hits and two walks. But the same could said for Jays starter Jose Berrios, who only gave up one run in seven innings. Neither, ultimately, figured in the decision as the series opener pushed on through 14 innings in an evening of high-end pitching, low-end hitting and some late-game drama.

The Blue Jays would win the game, 5-3, on a two-out walk-off homer by Davis Schneider, who had struck out three times earlier in the game. The 14 innings and three-hour, 46-minute duration were season-highs for the Jays while their four-game win streak has been matched just once in 2024.

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Down 1-0, in the seventh inning, the Jays caught a massive break which, with the way the Jays had been struggling at the plate, was needed. With George Springer on first, Daniel Vogelbach, pinch-hitting for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, launched a first-pitch moon shot deep into centre field that Ju Hwan Bae lost in the twilight. Off an running with two out, Springer scored while Vogelbach lumbered into second with a double.

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Another break arrived to start the ninth when Oneil Cruz, the Pirates’ young star shortstop, was walked by Yimi Garcia, but appeared to change his mind on a steal attempt, taking several steps toward second before putting on the brakes and diving back into first. The umpire originally said the 6-foot-7 Cruz got his hand on the bag and called him safe. But video review showed Vlad Guerrero Jr. got him on the helmet before that.

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That was the start of five innings of punch and counter-punch with the Bucs retaking the lead in both the 11th and 12th innings, only two see the Jays extend things with the tying run each time.

Normally, with baseball’s new extra-innings rule, featuring a runner starting at second, an outcome is quickly determined. Then along comes Friday night when a handful of individual feats will easily be forgotten — including Springer’s spectacular head-long dive of Bryan Reynolds a drive over his head in right field in the 11th that plated a runner from third, but may have just saved the game.

In the end, the wait was worth it. In the 14th, after Kevin Kiermaier and Ernie Clement had grounded out, Schneider, on a clinical swing, deposited right-hander Kyle Nicolas’ first pitch — a 98-mph fastball on the outside edge of the strike zone — over the wall in right-centre for Toronto’s first walk-off win of the season.

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Kudos to Toronto’s bullpen, which was a bit undermanned with closer Jordan Romano unavailable. The Jays wound up using five relievers, the Pirates six — not an ideal situation for either side with two more games on tap in this series.

MANOAH FALLOUT

At least for the next few days, the Blue Jays won’t need to fret on a fifth starter in the wake of the news that Alek Manoah was placed on the injured list.

The bad news is that Manoah has some kind of tear in his right (throwing) elbow and there’s no way to know how long he will be sidelined and when, perhaps even if, he’ll return to the mound this season.

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Toronto is thin on starting pitchers and some kind of decision will have to be made for next Tuesday’s starter.

Friday night’s series opener against the Bucs began a stretch that will see the Jays play 36 games during a 38-game stretch.

Bowden Francis looms as a possible candidate to fill that No. 5 starter’s role. He made a few early season starts, but the reviews weren’t that good.

Yariel Rodriguez did a decent job as the fifth starter during his outings, but he got hurt and is slowly making his way back.

There’s also the option of going with a bullpen day.

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SECOND THOUGHTS

The Jays recorded their first hit when Clement, who started at third and batted eighth in the lineup, sent a liner into left field in the bottom of the third inning. Clement tried to take an extra base, but he was tagged out at the bag when Reynolds made a nice throw to second baseman Nick Gonzales.

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Through four innings, the only hit Toronto produced came courtesy of Clement, who would immediately get thrown out when he tried to stretch a single into a double.

The Pirates, in contrast, began the game with a hit when 37-year-old Andrew McCutchen led things off with a single.

When he stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning with runners at first and second, McCutchen singled on a sharp line drive with two outs to score a run.

It was Pittsburgh’s fifth hit of the game.

BRIEFLY

Newly-minted Level of Excellence recipient Jose Bautista was back in the 6ix to help celebrate the team’s Toronto City Connect look. Joey Bats even took his swings in the batter’s box in the hours leading up to opening pitch Friday and didn’t look out of place. He was also shagging balls in the outfield. During last year’s ceremony to honor Bautista, he signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Blue Jay. He was acquired from the Pirates on Aug. 21, 2008 in exchange for catcher Robinzon Diaz … Prospect Ricky Tiedemann threw a 20-pitch live BP Friday. The next step for the left-hander is a rehab appearance in Florida … No immediate word was provided, but Daulton Varsho, who was draped in a hoodie in the dugout, was not available … Garcia’s walk of Cruz in the ninth was just his seventh of the season in 22 innings.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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