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Roy Halladay trudges back to the dugout after getting the hook after giving up seven runs 3.1 innings. (J.P. Moczulski/Reuters)
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- Chicago White Sox
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tim Corcoran
- Carl Crawford
- Sal Fasano
- Troy Glaus
- Roy Halladay
- Aaron Hill
- Adam Lind
- Greg Norton
- Lyle Overbay
- Carlos Pena
- Matt Stairs
- Frank Thomas
- John Thomson
- B.J. Upton
- Ty Wigginton
- Brian Wolfe
TORONTO — It was Crime Stoppers Night at the Rogers Centre last night but it did not prevent the Toronto Blue Jays from stealing a baseball game.
With the Tampa Bay Devil Rays holding what appeared to be a comfortable 11-6 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Jays staged a furious rally, scoring six runs in their last at-bat to escape with a wild 12-11 victory before 19,063 disbelieving fans.
"Win for the good guys," said Toronto manager John Gibbons, who could be excused for acting like the cat that swallowed the canary after this unorthodox victory.
"We hung around, you know. That doesn't happen that often but we hung around and, I don't know how to describe it. You describe it."
The comeback matches the biggest ninth-inning rebound in franchise history, the other occurring April 27, 2003, against the Kansas City Royals.
The game also ties the second-biggest comeback in team history, trailing only Toronto's 10-run return on June 4, 1989, against the Boston Red Sox.
The winning run was rather unconventional with Aaron Hill drawing a bases-loaded walk off Tampa Bay reliever Tim Corcoran, which forced in Matt Stairs from third.
Stairs was mobbed by his teammates as he hit home plate to give the Blue Jays, 28-29, the opening game of the three-game set.
The final inning hinged around some debatable moves by Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden, whose decision to walk two Toronto batters in the ninth to load the bases for Hill figured large in the Blue Jays' rally.
"I don't know, I wasn't breathing, I'll tell you that," Toronto rookie Adam Lind said when asked to describe the emotions in the dugout as the ninth inning progressed. "I was just sitting there shaking."
Lind had a career game for Toronto, going 3-for-4 and five runs batted in, including a three-run home run in the fourth.
It was an incredible turnaround for the Blue Jays, who appeared down and out when trailing 8-1 after the Tampa Bay fourth.
Things looked bleak after team ace Roy Halladay was pounded for eight runs, seven earned, on 12 hits over 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing this season.
"I just put us in a big hole and it just shows a lot of heart for guys to come back and do what they did," Halladay said. "It was a great comeback for our team."
After falling behind 8-1 the Jays battled back, scoring four in their half of the fourth to make the score 8-5.
Tampa Bay added two more in the sixth and Toronto a single in the seventh to close within 10-6. The Devil Rays scored another run in the eighth.
In the ninth, the Blue Jays sent 10 batters to the plate, beginning with a walk to Hill. It was a sign of things to come.
Hill was cashed when Lind doubled to centre field and then Lind came around to make the score 11-8 on a double by Jason Phillips.
With the score 11-10, Stairs doubled to left, which scored Vernon Wells from second to tie the game.
Madden then brought in Corcoran in to face Frank Thomas and Thomas was issued an intentional walk to set up the double play with one out.
But that ploy fizzled when Tampa catcher Raul Casanova mishandled a pitch from Corcoran. That allowed Stairs to move to third and Thomas to second.
After that, Madden called for Corcoran to walk Troy Glaus and load the bases.
Corcoran was obviously in a giving mood after that because he walked Hill unintentionally and the Jays found themselves with an unexpected win.
"Once we scored the first run [in the ninth] it was, 'All right, we can do this, keep pushing' and we came out on top," Lind said.
The comeback made a winner of Josh Towers, 2-3, who pitched the final twoo innings and allowed ne run off two hits. The loser was Casey Fossum, 2-3.
The tipsheet
871
The number of career hits Carl Crawford has for the Devil Rays, to take over the franchise lead, after he singled to centre field in the third inning.
The Big Hit
A walk by Aaron Hill, his second of the ninth inning, forced in Matt Stairs from third base with the winning run.
The Big Miss
Tampa Bay catcher Raul Casanova was victimized by a passed ball in the ninth inning, which allowed Stairs to advance to third base.
