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Blue Jays rally two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Athletics 4-3 |
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Written by Mike Koreen, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Tuesday, 05 August 2008 |
Toronto Blue Jays short stop John McDonald makes a diving throw to complete a double play during eighth inning AL action against the Oakland A's in Toronto on Tuesday August 5, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
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TORONTO - For the second time in as many major-league starts, North Vancouver, B.C., rookie right-hander Scott Richmond gave the Toronto Blue Jays a chance to win.
This time, Richmond's teammates came through for him in dramatic fashion.
On a day when he was supposed to be flying to Beijing with the Canadian Olympic team, Richmond watched the Blue Jays bats take him off the hook for a loss with a two-run ninth as Toronto (57-56) beat the reeling Oakland Athletics 4-3 on Tuesday night before a crowd of 23,580 at the Rogers Centre.
"He kept us in the game and that's what's important," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said of Richmond (0-1) after little used right-fielder Kevin Mench stroked an RBI single into centre off A's closer Huston Street (2-5) to cap the walkoff victory.
"One pitch different and he probably would have won the game. But otherwise you can't ask for much more."
That one pitch - a high fastball that Bobby Crosby laced for a two-run triple with two out in the fourth - looked like it was going to propel Oakland to a rare victory. When Richmond exited after giving up seven hits and three runs in 5 2-3 innings, the Jays were down 3-1.
But the Jays battled back thanks to more outstanding defence by shortstop John McDonald, who turned a highlight-reel double play in the eighth, and some timely hitting.
Rod Barajas tied it with an RBI double off Street in the ninth before Mench completed the comeback with a two-out hit, sending the A's (53-59) to their season-high eighth loss in a row.
"I'm still working behind a little bit," Richmond said. "I want to get in there a little more than I was. Overall, I felt comfortable and calm and just tried to hit the glove as much as I could. Once again, I worked from behind and it ended up hurting me a few times.
"(But) I'm just (happy) the guys are battling out there big-time. We had some hard hit balls in the ninth and they were coming through for us."
Richmond's line was almost a carbon copy of his big-league debut when he gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings in a 3-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last Wednesday. Richmond, 28, was called up from triple-A Syracuse last week, taking him off the Olympic roster as Canada's No. 1 starter.
But Richmond certainly isn't complaining. He received a standing ovation from the crowd when exiting and got a bit emotional when talking about the cheers.
"Being Canadian, I always watched Major League Baseball games watching for Canadians, looking for Canadians, cheering them on," said Richmond, who talked to several of his Olympic teammates on Monday and asked them to send him updates from Beijing.
"It's just (I feel) very proud to be Canadian. To get here, it's a tougher road for Canadians. We don't have all the access of baseball in America with high school and all that. It's a little bit more of a struggle, especially in the baseball world. Everybody embraces that person that made it and cheers them on and hopes for the best. I'm just really happy I can be one of those guys that people can cheer for."
Jays fans also love to cheer for the light-hitting McDonald, who helped the Jays get out of a big jam in the eighth. With the bases loaded and no out, McDonald went to his right to make a great diving stab on a Mark Ellis looper before throwing to second to double-up Emil Brown. Jack Hannahan then grounded out, getting Jays reliever Brandon League out of trouble.
"Mac's unbelievable," Gaston said. "We've had a lot of great shortstops here and you can put him right there with him. He has really showed me something here. He has made play after play after play and he enjoys doing it, too."
Jesse Carlson (4-1) notched the final two outs of the ninth to record the win for the Jays.
"I think our guys did a real good job of battling," McDonald said. "Even though we weren't hitting the ball all game long, (the Jays knew) if we kept it close, we could give ourselves a shot at the end. It's a big win for us."
Notes: Blue Jays 2B Joe Inglett sat out for the second game in a row on Tuesday with a sore left foot that he injured Sunday night in Texas. Gaston said Inglett might be able to play on Wednesday ... Blue Jays OF Shannon Stewart (right ankle) and RHP Jeremy Accardo (right forearm) were slated to make appearances for class A Dunedin on Tuesday ... Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said the team will have to make a decision whether 2B Aaron Hill (concussion) will try to play again this season within two weeks. Hill, out since May 30, is on the 60-day DL ... Jays LHP Brian Tallet (left toe) threw at the Rogers Centre prior to the game on Tuesday and is expected back within two weeks ... RHP Jesse Litsch gave up seven hits and two runs in seven innings in his third start for triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. Since being optioned to the minors, Litsch is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA ... The A's are calling up LHP Gio Gonzalez (8-7 at triple-A Sacramento) to start on Wednesday in his major-league debut against Jays RHP Shaun Marcum. A's RHP Justin Duchscherer, Wednesday's scheduled starter, will start on Thursday.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 August 2008 )
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