Who Hit Walk Off for the Blue Jays

Jordan Romano got halfway to the infield with lights flashing and the pounding beat of Tsunami blasting around Rogers Centre before the show stopped. The Blue Jays were challenging the play.

As umpires reviewed if the ball touched the netting before Baltimore's Ryan Mountcastle snagged the out, Romano trotted back out to left field. When the play was confirmed—a pop-out—the Blue Jays' closer began his walk-in show again.

It was that kind of game—all Blue Jays lights and music early, with an abrupt end to the fun when Baltimore erased Toronto's lead. But just like for Romano, the music and lights came back on for the Blue Jays, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked it off in the 10th.

Here are four takeaway's from Toronto's extra-innings victory:

Vladdy Ends It With 1st Career Walk-Off

Guerrero Jr. told Alejandro Kirk to be ready. With Bo Bichette on second base as the ghost-runner and Kirk hitting behind him, Guerrero thought the Orioles might intentionally walk him. When he saw Baltimore was going to pitch to him, the Toronto first baseman knew a hit was coming.

"Well, this game's over," he thought to himself.

As Guerrero's hit darted onto the left-field grass and Bichette rounded for home, Alek Manoah charged out of the dugout with a pair of water bottles and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was there to tear at the hero's jersey.

Guerrero hadn't been having as much fun playing the games lately, he admitted after the win, but with the help of George Springer and Teoscar Hernández, he made a conscious choice to get back to the good times.

"I wasn't enjoying the game the way you guys know that I enjoy the game," Guerrero said. "When I was in Detroit, I just, you know, thought about that and in one of the games in Detroit and I said 'You know what? From now on I'm gonna be myself. I'm gonna enjoy the game the way I do.' From that point on everything just kind of clicked."

Sealing a win with his first career walk-off is a great way to kick-start the fun.

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Cimber Holds The Line

After Yimi García allowed three runs in the eighth, the Blue Jays turned to the rest of the 'pen to keep Baltimore at six runs.

With a ghost-runner of their own on second base, Baltimore saw side-winder Adam Cimber in the 10th inning with a chance to take the lead. After a sacrifice bunt, Cimber induced a needed strike-out, sitting down Ryan McKenna before inducing a Cedric Mullins pop-out. The clean inning, with a free runner on second, gave Guerrero a chance to walk it off, and manager Charlie Montoyo applauded Cimber for the needed outs.

"That turned the momentum on our side," Montoyo said "Because that's how the game was, it was like a roller coaster. We were going to win, and then it went downhill real quick, and then Cimber stopped that momentum. To me, that was the game."

Bats Warming Up In June

The home-run jacket got a workout on Wednesday.

The blazer popped on and off various Blue Jay shoulders in the middle innings of Toronto's 7-6 win, as Guerrero, Hernández, and Matt Chapman all took their turns punishing the left-field seats.

The Blue Jays entered Wednesday ranked top two in the Majors in average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS. With 11 hits and three homers in the first five innings, Toronto built on those rankings.

After struggling with runners in scoring position and playing in endless pitching duels to start the season, the Jays have now scored 7.15 runs per game in June.

Consistent Quality From José Berríos

José Berríos said he felt like his old self after his last start in Detroit. And for three starts in a row, he's certainly looked like the Berríos of 2021.

In his last three outings (22 IP), the righty has allowed six total earned runs while striking out 26. On Wednesday he worked into the seventh inning on just 67 pitches, sweeping his breaking ball past Baltimore batters and earning 11whiffs on the pitch.

"I don't know how many quality starts he's given us now," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "But he's been really good. Total control with all his pitches."

Berríos was perfect through three innings, even flirting with an immaculate inning in the bottom of the third frame. His only mistakes were homers to Ryan Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman, the first of the latter's career.

The 28-year-old was a quality start machine after coming to Toronto last July, finishing the season with nine QS in his last 12 starts. After some hard-contact blips to start the season, Berríos pushed his quality start train to three games with seven solid innings against the O's.

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Source: https://www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/news/blue-jays-guerrero-jr-walkoff-orioles-takeaways-berrios-cimber

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