Blue Jays' Estrada stifles Royals to force Game 6
The Toronto Blue Jays turned to their most dependable pitcher with their season on the line, and Marco Estrada delivered in the biggest start of his career.
Despite being flanked by David Price and Marcus Stroman in Toronto's rotation, it was Estrada who dazzled like an ace on Wednesday, hurling 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a season-saving 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Estrada was backed by big hits from Toronto's middle-of-the-order sluggers, including a solo homer from Chris Colabello and doubles from Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista, and Josh Donaldson. The series now returns to Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals will get two chances to punch their ticket to the World Series for a second straight season.
Top Performer: Estrada's gem is the story of Game 5, but it was Tulowitzki who electrified the Rogers Centre crowd in the sixth with his game-breaking three-run double off Royals flamethrower Kelvin Herrera to put the Blue Jays ahead 5-0. The big hit increased Tulowitzki's playoff RBI total to a major league-leading 11, while his seven runs batted in during the ALCS represent a new franchise record. Despite battling lingering soreness from his cracked shoulder blade, Tulowitzki's extended slump appears long over. He's now batting .368/.368/.632 in the LCS with a homer and two doubles.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Starting Pitchers: Estrada, making the third playoff start of his career, relied heavily on his go-to changeup, retiring the first nine batters he faced before allowing a single to Alcides Escobar to lead off the fourth. He responded by inducing a double play and an inning-ending popup to escape the frame and protect Toronto's one-run lead. The deceptive right-hander breezed through the AL's top-seeded club from there, retiring another 10 in a row from the fourth to the seventh before back-to-back hits, including a solo home run by Salvador Perez, ended his night with two outs in the eighth.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Estrada | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Edinson Volquez | 5.0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
Royals starter Edinson Volquez, meanwhile, replicated his Game 1 success through five-plus innings before Toronto's four-run sixth broke the game wide open. Despite an 0-2 changeup that Colabello homered on during the second inning, Volquez made few mistakes until his fateful sixth, when he surrendered three walks, including one with the bases loaded, and hit a batter.
Key Moment: Estrada and Tulowitzki were Toronto's Game 5 heroes, but the key moment was arguably Bautista's 10-pitch at-bat during the sixth inning with runners on first and second and no outs. The epic showdown between Volquez and Bautista lasted for what felt like an eternity, with the Blue Jays slugger repeatedly fouling off 97-mph two-seam fastballs to stay alive in the high-stakes at-bat. Bautista won the battle when home plate umpire Dan Iassogna ruled the 10th pitch a ball, despite replays showing the curveball entering the strike zone. That loaded the bases for Edwin Encarnacion, who walked in the game's second - and eventual winning - run, chasing Volquez from the game.
Up Next: The Blue Jays will look for their first road win of the series Friday when they hand the ball to Price opposite right-hander Yordano Ventura in Game 6. First pitch is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.