9 Runs, 9 Wins in a Row: What a Comeback by the Blue Jays
Sometimes, magical things can happen at Fenway Park. At the very same location where the Toronto Blue Jays overcame a 10-run deficit to beat the Boston Red So a little over 26 years ago, they staged yet another impressive comeback in Boston.
If you missed the first six innings or tuned out shortly after the Red Sox tagged Drew Hutchison for five runs in the top of the first inning, you’re not alone. Admittedly, I didn’t tune back in until the seventh inning when the Blue Jays were down 8-6.
What transpired after that was nothing short of spectacular. The Blue Jays reached base nine consecutive times before the Red Sox even recorded an out. And in the process, Toronto put a nine-spot on the board to take a commanding lead.
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In case you missed it, relive the magic as the Blue Jays plated nine (yes nine) runs off the Red Sox in the top of the seventh inning.
It was a sight that simply had to be seen on the old-fashioned scoreboard on the Green Monster. What if they had scored 10 runs?
The way the Blue Jays’ lineup is currently constructed, it’s built to turn around some ball games fairly quickly. But overcoming a seven-run deficit with three innings to play? With the quality of pitching in today’s brand of baseball, that kind of comeback is almost unheard of.
According to this delicious win probability chart via FanGraphs, we can see at their peak in the middle of the fourth inning, the Red Sox had a 98.4% chance of winning that game. Which means Toronto had a 1.6% chance of winning … and incredibly, they did.
The end of that game graph as akin to the Cliffhangers game on the Price is Right, and much like that poor little unsuspecting yodeler, the Boston Red Sox fell right off the edge of the cliff.
Most of the Red Sox bullpen had a hand in their team’s demise, but a great deal of it came at the hands of Junichi Tazawa, who continues to get punished by Toronto Blue Jays hitters.
At this point, I’m still kind of surprised that John Farrell continues to send Tazawa out there to face the Blue Jays, but nonetheless he brought Tazawa. In 26 games against Toronto, Junichi Tazawa now owns a 7.88 ERA with 38 hits and has given up 9 home runs.
One of the strange statistics surrounding the Blue Jays as of late has been their total lack of save opportunities. That came to an end last night as Brett Cecil picked up the save’; prior to that, the Blue Jays played 34 consecutive games without a save since May 4th.
Apparently, it was also a good night to be a visiting Blue Jays fan at Fenway Park, as they celebrated nearly as much as the players did in the dugout.
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Even the Jays fans atop the Green Monster get a chance to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/PXAdx3M24e
— Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) June 13, 2015
And yet through all the excitement of staging one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history, John Gibbons was still has same old relaxed self.
I suppose that’s why some managers never really get too low or too high over the course of a ballgame; as evidenced by the peaks and valleys of this particular game, it really can be an emotional roller coaster.
It seems like the Blue Jays and Red Sox really are two franchise at a crossroads right now; the Blue Jays heading in a positive direction on a total upswing, while the Red Sox might be slowly circling the drain.
It seems like everyone is beginning to panic in Beantown. But that’s none of my business, right Gibby?
— Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) June 13, 2015
Image via Jim Rogash/Getty Images Sport
