The 19 inning affair, lasting six hours and 37 minutes was the longest game in Blue Jays history, both in terms of duration and the number of innings.
But the longest game in Blue Jays history was not a boring affair.
The Detroit's had runners at 1st and 3rd in the 13th and the 16th; had runners at 1st and 2nd in the 12th, 14th and the 18th. The Jays had the bases loaded in the 13th, the 15th, and the 19th; they had runners at 2nd and 3rd twice. The Jays' had the winning run 90 feet away holding last at-bats 5 times in extra innings!
My earlier synopsis here that the Jays were a Second Division team outside of the American League East, was proved wrong this weekend. The Toronto Blue Jays played the first division Detroit Tigers tit-for-tat - in a just-like-September run for the Pennant --- which IS what this already is.
The American League west-coast to east-coast is so close that it is not obsequious to state that the Pennant race has already begun. The local media fetish for the Wild Card standings is not vain or provincial - it is real.
Even considering - that the game turned on a line drive base hit by Velencia to David Price's groin in the 5th (which he blocked with his knee cap) after which a 2-run home run by Dioner Navarro - that lead to his removal in the next inning - that then lead to a 2-run inning in the 7th to make it a 1-run game, that lead to the tie game in the 9th.
It was after all that - Detroit's 6-man bullpen was the deciding factor after both teams shut each other out for a further 9 innings. Finally in the 19th it ended, with a walk and an error and a hit - to decide the series.
Factoids:
ESPN Box Score: http://espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?id=340810114MLB Box Score: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_08_10_detmlb_tormlb_1&mode=box
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