7:10 PM ET, June 20, 2014
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
Associated Press
Blue Jays Erase Massive Deficit, Top Reds
With those two bookend swings, he played the role of comeback kid.
Encarnacion's set of three-run homers helped the Blue Jays pull off the second-biggest comeback in their history Friday night, rallying from an early eight-run deficit to a 14-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
More from ESPN.com
The
Blue Jays have been known for their bats this season, but they couldn't
have foreseen what happened Friday night. ESPN Stats & Info has the
details. StoryToronto hit four homers during its comeback. Encarnacion started it by connecting in the third inning off Mat Latos and finished it with his 23rd homer, off Sam LeCure during a five-run ninth inning.
"After the (first) three-run homer, we got the emotion back," said Encarnacion, who set a career high with his six RBIs. "We were feeling like we could come back after that."
Brett Lawrie and Juan Francisco also homered for Toronto, which piled up 16 hits and nine walks.
Toronto overcame a 10-run deficit to beat Boston 13-11 in 12 innings in 1989.
With the score tied at 9, Aroldis Chapman (0-2) came on to pitch the ninth and walked leadoff hitter Colby Rasmus. Erik Kratz doubled off the wall in left field to break the tie and then came around on Melky Cabrera's single.
Chapman was replaced after getting only two outs. Encarnacion completed the big comeback and his sixth multihomer game of the season.
"You may never see another one like that," Gibbons said.
Slow Start, Strong Finish
The Blue Jays, led by MLB home run leader Edwin Encarnacion, erased an
8-0 deficit in Friday's 14-9 win against the Reds, one of the biggest
wins in the wild card era when trailing by at least eight runs.
Largest wins after trailing by 8+ runs
Wild Card Era - Since 1994
| Team | Opp | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Yankees | Rays | 9 |
| 1999 Indians | Rays | 9 |
| 2012 Yankees | Red Sox | 6 |
| 2014 Jays* | Reds | 5 |
| *- Trailed by 8 in 2nd inning --ESPN Stats & Information | ||
The comeback boosted the Blue Jays out of a recent funk. They were swept for the first time this season at Yankee Stadium and had dropped nine of their past 12.
The Reds' pitching meltdown wasted a chance to get back to .500 for the fourth time this season. Cincinnati has yet to have a winning record.
It was the first time the Reds blew an eight-run lead and lost since May 20, 2010, at Atlanta, a 10-9 defeat. The Reds gave up a season-high nine walks.
"I don't know what it is," manager Bryan Price said. "Fortunately, it's only one loss. It's an ugly type of loss. It's the type of loss that affects everybody."
The Blue Jays called up Liam Hendriks to start in place of R.A. Dickey, getting two extra days to rest a sore groin. The Reds knocked him out in the second inning while sending 11 batters to the plate for an 8-0 lead, their biggest inning of the season.
Devin Mesoraco started it with a two-run homer, and Jay Bruce finished it with a two-run shot. Bruce also singled as the Reds piled up seven hits and a walk.
Hendriks was in the dugout watching one of the major leagues' most powerful offenses pull off one of its biggest comebacks.
"It was incredible," Hendriks said. "This offense is fantastic. This ballpark plays up to our strengths."
Latos made his second start since returning from the disabled list and wasn't sharp. He gave up nine hits, three walks and Encarnacion's homer during 5 2/3 innings.
Reliever Jumbo Diaz made his major league debut in the seventh and gave up Lawrie's solo homer and Francisco's two-run shot, cutting it to 9-8. Toronto then tied it in the eighth on Dioner Navarro's double off Jonathan Broxton.
Game notes
LHP J.A. Happ (6-3) faces RHP Mike Leake (4-6) on Saturday. Leake lost his only other career start against the Blue Jays in 2011. ... The Blue Jays optioned RHP Steve Delabar to Triple-A Buffalo to open a spot for Hendriks. ... Encarnacion has 21 homers during 42 games since May 6, the most in the majors over that span. ... The Reds optioned LHP Tony Cingrani to Triple-A Louisville and called up Diaz. They also moved LHP Sean Marshall to the 60-day DL. Marshall will have shoulder surgery Tuesday.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment