McNeil’s Infield Single Lifts Blue Jays Past Athletics 6-5

McNeil’s Key Hit

The Toronto Blue Jays secured a narrow 6-5 victory over the Sacramento Athletics on Tuesday night, thanks to a crucial play in the final inning. Jeff McNeil reached base on an infield single to shortstop in the ninth, driving home the game-winning run while advancing two other runners.

The call on the field was upheld after Toronto challenged the decision, allowing the Blue Jays to take the lead for good.

Scoring Breakdown

The Athletics struck first in the opening frame. Gelof hit a ground-rule double and scored on an error by third baseman Okamoto, giving Sacramento an early 2-0 advantage. Toronto responded in the second inning when Kirk homered to right center, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

The Blue Jays took control in the third inning. Bolte scored on a fielder’s choice by Gelof, and Cortes singled to right to score Gelof, making it 3-1 for Toronto. Bolte added an RBI with a home run to right in the fifth, extending the lead to 5-1.

Sacramento rallied in the seventh inning. Okamoto homered to left, followed by a double from Giménez that scored Lukes and advanced Clement to third. Smith hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Clement, bringing the Athletics within one run at 5-4. The tying run came in the ninth when Giménez homered to right center, forcing extra innings or setting up McNeil’s heroics.

Pitching Performances

Dylan Cease started for Toronto but struggled with command and hits allowed. He pitched five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits while striking out six. Brendon Little, Paul Sewald, Mason Fluharty, and Tyler Rogers combined to pitch the next two innings without allowing a run, preserving the lead until Louis Varland entered in high leverage.

Varland gave up two hits and one earned run in his 0.2 innings of work, taking the loss (5-5).

Jacob Lopez started for Sacramento, pitching six innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. Luis Medina pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the save opportunity, but Hogan Harris finished the game, allowing one run in 1.1 innings to secure the win (4-2) and record his seventh save.

Final Record

The final score was 6-5. The Athletics improved to 58-87, while the Blue Jays moved to 72-73. The game was played at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, with an attendance of 7,467.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816851