Blue Jays make big flex after stunning win vs. Angels
The Toronto Blue Jays extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with a dramatic 4-3 walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, which was their seventh walk-off of the year, the most in the American League.
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After the win, the Blue Jays' official X formerly Twitter account fired off a bold flex.
The Blue Jays improved to 51-38 with this win, widening their lead atop the AL East to 3.0 games over both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
George Springer continued his late-career resurgence in spectacular fashion. The 35-year-old outfielder crushed his 16th home run of the season, a 413-foot blast to straightaway center field in the third inning, giving Toronto a 3-2 lead. It was his fifth homer in five games, boosting his season OPS+ to 145 and tallying 21 RBIs in his last 13 games. Springer joined an elite group, since 1901, only four players aged 35 or older have recorded 15+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases before the All-Star break. He's also on pace to become just the ninth player aged 35+ to finish a season with 25+ home runs and 15+ steals.
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The game's hero was rookie Addison Barger, whose 11th-inning, two-out single to right field scored Myles Straw for the walk-off win in front of 37,269 fans at Rogers Centre. Addison Barger also contributed earlier with an RBI single in the first and his sixth outfield assist of the year by throwing out Mike Trout at home.
The pitching staff held together despite a thin bullpen. Max Scherzer, in his third start back from injury, allowed two runs on five hits over four innings, throwing 72 pitches. Dealing with lingering thumb inflammation, he still averaged 93.8 mph on his fastball and struck out four.
Making his MLB debut, Lazaro Estrada provided a critical bridge, tossing four innings of one-run ball, striking out four, and holding the Angels at bay. Estrada became an unlikely difference-maker after being called up as a precautionary arm. Braydon Fisher (3-0) followed with two clutch shutout innings in the 10th and 11th to earn the win, his fourth appearance in six days.
This streak has pushed the Blue Jays to their limits, but they've consistently found ways to battle through. They overcame an eight-run blown lead Wednesday, leaned on Chris Bassitt's 113-pitch outing Thursday, and notched a walk-off sacrifice bunt Friday before Saturday's extra-inning thriller.
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Even with relievers Jeff Hoffman, Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little, Chad Green unavailable, and Yimi Garcia placed on the IL with a sprained ankle, Toronto continued to find ways to win.
Toronto will hand the ball to Kevin Gausman on Sunday as they eye a sweep over the Angels and look to stretch their win streak to eight games.
Related: Blue Jays' Max Scherzer shares pitching outlook after start vs. Angels
Related: Addison Barger walks off Angels to keep Blue Jays win streak alive
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