Skip to content

Osuna expects 2 more celebrations for Blue Jays

Dan Hamilton / Reuters

Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna sported the phrase "Don't Panic" on his cleats during Sunday's Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, and that was the exact approach he took in helping his club to a 7-6 extra-innings win and a three-game sweep.

The 21-year-old Osuna, with ice water in his veins and a cupping bruise on the back of his neck, earned the win Sunday after two shutout innings against the Rangers that featured some tense moments in front of a sold-out crowd at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

His remarkable performance came less than a week after leaving the AL wild-card game with a sore shoulder.

"They were huge outs," Jays pitching coach Pete Walker told the Toronto Sun's Scott Mitchell. “Obviously, it’s not ideal. It’s not a situation we really want to put him in, but he had a clean ninth inning and we talked to him after the inning and he was adamant about going back out there. He’s been unbelievable. Multiple innings at this stage of the season aren’t ideal for a young pitcher like him, but he was adamant about going out there and we felt really good about it."

Osuna, barely old enough to drink, celebrated the victory amid champagne showers in the club's locker room, and fully expects to see some more bottles popped in the Blue Jays' future.

"We've got two more ahead," Osuna explained to Sportsnet's Barry Davis when asked how he felt about all the celebrating the Blue Jays have been doing lately.

Toronto has had it's fair share of locker room festivities of late, bringing out the ski goggles three times in the last eight days after clinching both a postseason berth, and defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the AL wild-card game last week.

And while Osuna was taking it all in after Sunday's win, he still had his family on his mind.

"My mom might be crying right now, same with my brothers, they're here outside, I'm going to go see them in a minute."

After a successful sophomore regular-season campaign for Osuna, where he saved 36 games in 42 chances, he's yet to allow a run in five innings of postseason work.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox