Six-six-six: The number of the beast. The sign of the devil.
Or, in baseball terms for the Blue Jays: scoring just six runs before the sixth inning heading into the last game of a six-game homestand.
And 6-6-6 isn鈥檛 good, occultish or stats-wise.
But the Beastie Boys, as has become 色色啦鈥檚 signature boogaloo move, yet again managed to escape from the belly of the beast with their MLB-leading 45th comeback win of the season, and fourth-most in franchise history.
Now, that鈥檚 a bit of a cheap stat聽鈥 rallying from 0-1 in the first inning for the eventual W still counts as a comeback, and behind after seven they鈥檙e 11-47.
But that鈥檚 where they were on this Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre, trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the eighth against the Baltimore Orioles when Alejandro Kirk pinch-hit for Nathan Lukes: line drive up the middle, 0-for-19 slump-busting RBI, bringing Ernie Clement across the plate and 色色啦 within a run.
Under normal circumstances, John Schneider would have pinch-run for Kirk when he got to second on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.鈥檚 subsequent walk, loading the bases. But he鈥檇 already pulled starting catcher Tyler Heineman for Ty France in that frame: 鈥淣ot unless I wanted Izzy (Isiah Kiner-Falefa) to catch.鈥欌櫬 The manager had his fingers crossed for a ball down into the corner or something for the slow-poke Kirk, with George Springer on third. 鈥淵ou trust the little engine that could, Kirkie,鈥欌 said Schneider.
Fortuitously, then, Kirk was still in the lineup an inning later and produced the sac fly that scored Joey Loperfido for the walk-off victory in an immensely eventful frame: ballsy bunt from Daulton Varsho, part of a four-straight-hits splurge that drew 色色啦 level, and Springer safely on first with one out because of catcher interference.
A lot of weirdness had to align for the Jays to construct a ninth walk-off win. Most notably, perhaps, because the majors-leading offence hasn鈥檛 been doing a whole ton of hitting or run scoring across this homestand, yet 4-1 nonetheless.
Schneider recapped that ninth inning: 鈥淥utstanding bunt from Varsh, and then just really good at-bats: Ernie, Joey, Gimmie. (Clement single, Loperfido pinch-hit single, Andr茅s Gim茅nez single, Springer on first to load the bases on catcher interference and Bob鈥檚 your uncle.)
Show of faith by the skipper, inserting Loperfido in there, just recently summoned back from Triple A: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good spot for Joey, whether it鈥檚 a sinker or a splitter.鈥欌 It was, in fact, a tough splitter from reliever Yennier Cano. 鈥淎wesome at-bat for him,鈥欌 continued Schneider. 鈥淎wesome at-bat for Gimmie, too. Safety-squeeze crossed my mind a little bit, first and third. But when he took a good swing on the first pitch, I thought: OK, he wants this right now.
鈥淚 think guys know that I鈥檓 going to trust them where it feels like a spot that they鈥檙e going to have success.鈥欌
Upshot: a three-run ninth聽(brushing off a top-of-the-ninth home run by Coby Mayo), a 5-4 win and another hug-a-thon on the field, this time enfolding Kirk.
Hugely entertaining end to what had been a saggy, dim-wattage encounter until the late strokes, somehow making a 6-0 winner out of reliever Braydon Fisher to boot. But these clutch reversals are taking a few years off Schneider鈥檚 life.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not great on my ticker, but it鈥檚 awesome to watch unfold.鈥欌
Conceding that he鈥檚 starting to sound like a broken record whilst also running out of words to describe this comeback phenomenon.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 quit, man. It鈥檚 unbelievable how they just keep going after it and keep turning the page.鈥欌
Spinning that 45 record 鈥 Trying to make objective sense of it.
鈥淚t just says a lot about the character of the guys in the clubhouse, you know?鈥欌
Heroics from Kirk, of course, but so many players got a piece of that intrepidness in the eighth and ninth.
鈥淲e all want to win,鈥欌 Kirk said afterward. 鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e going through great games, great moments. We鈥檙e all happy and I think those emotions just happen.鈥欌
Getting off the 0-for-19 schneid was a relief: 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been hitting the ball hard. Sometimes things happen, you can鈥檛 control sometimes where you hit the ball. I actually wanted to play today.鈥欌 Got the starter rest, Schneider trying to ease the catching grind in these remaining weeks of the regular schedule. 鈥淚 really wanted those at-bats.鈥欌
The Blue Jays had a rare losing week, but still carried a three-game lead in the American League
Something of a crucible for right-hander Max Scherzer, as well, making his 15th start and coming off a bunch of crooked numbers聽鈥 giving up four runs or more in each of his previous three starts and serving up聽four home runs. Looked like he was careening toward a similar fate, with the Orioles taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. A lot of hard contact and fly balls reeled in on the track.
Schneider claimed to like what he saw, though: 鈥淚 thought he had the best stuff he鈥檚 had in a couple of outings.鈥
Scherzer, forthrightly: 鈥淚 had some good, I had some bad.鈥欌
These screeching turnarounds get him just as jazzed as the hitters.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 on the top rails. You鈥檝e seen me out there. I鈥檓 living it and breathing it with everybody else.鈥欌
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