The incompetence began in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right but Andrew Benintendi drew a walk....only to be thrown out at second trying to steal. Dustin Pedroia worked a walk but Mitch Moreland grounded out to end the inning. The Jays immediately pounced on Sox starter Doug Fister in the bottom of the first inning. Jose Bautista led off with a single to left but Ezequiel Carrera struck out. Josh Donaldson was plunked and the suddenly All-Star Justin Smoak smashed a 3 run bomb to put the Sox down early. Kendrys Morales struck out and Troy Tulowitzky popped up to end the inning but it was 3-0 Jays.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the second as Hanley Ramirez and Jackie Bradley Jr both struck out before Christian Vazquez popped up to end the inning. Fister rebounded in the bottom of the second as Ryan Goins and Kevin Pillar both whiffed. Luke Maile claimed he was hit by a pitch and ran into the dugout hopping up and down screaming to have the play reviewed. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons waddled to the umpire and said to review it and the replays showed he wasn't hit. The Jays lost their challenge on a play that wasn't even important. Fister got his revenge for the waste of time by getting Maile to ground out to end the inning.
Suddenly Estrada couldn't find the plate in the top of the third inning. Tzu-Wei Lin, Deven Marrero and Mr. Mookie all walked to load the bases. Naturally the Sox let him off the hook as Benny The Kid flailed at a pitch at his hands and hit one up the elevator shaft. Pedroia hit a measly pop up and Moreland swung and missed at strike three up in his eyes to end the inning. Are we really that surprised? Fister almost had a 1-2-3 inning but then crapped his pants. Bautista hit a rocket to center but JBJ snared it. Carrera smoked one deep to left but Benintendi caught it at the wall. Finally Donaldson smacked one down to left for a double. Smoak was intentionally walked and Morales hit a ball in the one spot into the shift that could allow him to reach. Now the Jays had the bases loaded and guess what Tulowitzky did? He grounded right back to Fister to end the inning. That's why the Jays mostly suck as well.
Ironically even though he had walked a career high at this point, Estrada kept a no-hitter through four innings. Ramirez hit a bullet but right to short and JBJ worked the 6th walk allowed by Estrada. Naturally after walking JBJ, Vazquez hacked at the first pitch and popped up to first. Lin popped up to end the inning. Fister did what he could in the bottom of the fourth by getting Goins to pop up on the first pitch. Pillar grounded out and Maile whiffed to end the inning.
The weirdness continued in the top of the fifth as Marrero walked to prompt analyst Dennis Eckersley to say "This is horrible." FINALLY the Sox got their first hit on a little roller to third by Mr. Mookie. Benny The Kid popped up on the first pitch but Pedroia made Estrada pay for his wildness by doubling home both runners to chase him. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons waddled to the mound to get Estrada out of there and brought in Matt's evil twin Danny Barnes. Moreland flied out on a 3-2 count but did manage to advance Pedroia to third. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning but the Sox were back in it 3-2.
Naturally after the Sox scored 2 runs, Fister almost gave it right back as he walked Bautista to begin the bottom of the fifth. Carrera dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Vazquez nearly got Fister called by calling time with Fister in midmotion, causing him to stumble awkwardly. Donaldson walked and Fister buzzed Smoak up and in. That worked just enough to get Smoak to fly out to right. Morales popped up to Benintendi to end the inning. Fister had gone 5 innings and kept the Sox in the game, just making that one mistake to Smoak.
The Sox caught a break when JBJ lofted a routine fly to Carrera but somehow he lost it in the moonlight, allowing JBJ to reach second with a credited double. Vazquez worked a walk on a borderline 3-1 pitch to once again have 2 guys on to start the inning. This time Lin managed to get both guys over with a groundout to the pitcher. Somehow the Sox tied it up as Marrero blooped a single to right to score JBJ with the tying run, advancing Vazquez to third. Mr. Mookie popped up as Gibbons waddled to the mound to get Barnes out of there. Jeff Beliveau hadn't allowed a hit in his last 4 appearances and buzzed Benny The Kid up and in. Benny responded by doubling down the left field line to score Vaz with the go-ahead run. Pedroia was intentionally walked to load the bases. Moreland looked at strike three to end the inning but the Sox had taken the lead 4-3.
After another showing of the horrific Southwest commercial, it was up to the Boston bullpen to nail down the final 12 outs with Fister out of there. The lead lasted approximately 25 seconds as Heath Hembree's first pitch to Tulowitzky in the bottom of the sixth was blasted out of the yard for a home run. Hembree then walked Goins but got Pillar to fly out. JBJ sprinted to run down a fly ball by Maile and Hembree did manage to whiff Bautista, but the Jays had tied it 4-4.
Dominic Leone got the ball in the top of the 7th inning and cruised. Ramirez grounded out but JBJ singled past the diving Tulowitzky. Vazquez popped up and Lin whiffed to end the inning. The much maligned Matt Barnes got the call to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning and once again crapped his pants. Carrera grounded out as Sox analyst said 41,000 people were at the Skydome tonight. Donaldson ran to the mound to swat at a gnat, sending Barnes diving for cover. Then Barnes walked both Donaldson and Smoak. Somehow Barnes punched out Morales and got Tulowitzky to ground out to end the inning.
Ryan Tepera was next out of the pen for Toronto in the top of the eighth and Marrero whiffed on a 2-2 pitch that wasn't even close. Mr. Mookie doubled down the left field line and Benny The Kid drew the 16th walk of the game. As per norm, Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Matt Barnes returned for the bottom of the eighth since Joe Kelly doesn't pitch two days in a row apparently. Matt did blow away Goins and got some help from a sprinting JBJ to run down a liner by Pillar. Maile popped up to Barnes to end the inning.
Jays closer Roberto Osuna got the ball in the top of the ninth inning and he blew away Moreland for Mitch's hat trick. Ramirez did manage to double over the head of Pillar but naturally with a runner on second, JBJ popped up. Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox left 12 men on base throughout the game. Sox manager threw in the towel by having Blaine Boyer come in to pitch the bottom of the ninth, not Craig Kimbrel. Blaine did get Bautista to ground out but Carrera blooped a broken bat single. Boyer did get Donaldson to fly out then Benny The Kid ran down a fly ball from Smoak to end the inning. Boyer had to face two former MVP's and got out of it, brass balls for Blaine. On to extras we go.
Aaron "Fruit" Loup came on to pitch the top of the 10th as Chris Young pinch hit for Lin. Dave O'Brien whispered that the bullpens were quiet....very very quiet as Young worked a walk. Marrero did have a .379 average against lefties although he could only advance Young to second with a ground out. Once again the Sox had runners on first and second with less than two outs when Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked. A wild pitch by Loup moved the runners over but the Sox blew it as Benny The Kid whiffed on a 2-2 pitch right down the middle. Pedroia was intentionally walked for the struggling Moreland. Sox manager John Farrell refused to pinch hit for him with Sam Travis or Xander Bogaerts and it bit him as Moreland grounded out on a bang bang play to end the inning. 15 men left on base and horrible managing by Farrell there. Boyer showed some more balls in the bottom of the 10th inning with Bogaerts taking over at short for Lin. Morales flied out to center and Tulowitzky flied out to right. Boyer blew away Goins to end the inning.
Loup returned for the top of the eleventh an Ramirez greeted him with a leadoff double. JBJ did his job with a base hit to right to advance Ramirez to third. With the go-ahead run on third.....Vazquez flied out to the one guy you can't run on, Bautista. Bogaerts said enough of this garbage and struck a single to right to score Ramirez with the go-ahead run. That was it for Loup as Jays manager John Gibbons waddled to the mound to bring in Glenn Sparkman for his Major League debut. With the rookie on the mound, JBJ and Bogaerts pulled off a double steal. The move worked as Marrero slammed a single to right to score JBJ easily and Bogaerts slid in safely, Marrero moving to second on the throw home. Goins then dropped a pop up by Mr. Mookie which allowed Marrero to move to third. Betts took second on defensive indifference and Dennis Eckersley said "Yes!" when Benny The Kid walked to load the bases. Once again with the bases loaded, Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Even though they led 7-4 they still had left 17 men on base.
Finally Craig Kimbrel got to enter the game to close it out in the bottom of the 11th. He blew away Pillar and Maile flied out to right. Bautista then popped to right to end the game, they grinded and came away with the win.
Tonight we have Co-Heroes of the Night. The first hero is Blaine Boyer. He threw 2 scoreless innings against the top of the Jays order when one run meant game over. Outstanding effort by the journeyman.
The other hero is Deven Marrero. He drove in the tying run in the top of the sixth then added the insurance runs in the top of the 11th. He's been scuffling at the plate so to see him come up big twice was a great sign.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with 2 walks with a run scored.
Xander Bogaerts drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th then scored himself after stealing a base.
Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 4, walked 3 times and drove in a run.
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 4 with 3 walks and 2 rbi's.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 6 with a run scored.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 5 with a walk, stolen base and 2 runs scored.
Chris Young walked as a pinch hitter.
Matt Barnes pitched 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Mitch Moreland had a dreadful night going 0 for 6 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Heath Hembree gave up the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
The Ugly:
Doug Fister only lasted 5 innings and gave up a 3 run first inning bomb, but pitched pretty well the other four. He left with the lead that Hembree promptly coughed up.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 5 but walked and scored a run.
Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 3 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
This was not a game for the weak of heart or the easily bored. It was a near 5 hour marathon but at least the Sox had won it. They left way too many men on base and Heath Hembree cost Doug Fister his first win in a Sox uniform. Still, the Sox showed some brass balls for once by rallying from a 3-0 deficit to win in extras, where they are a surprising 6-1 once regulation is over. The relief corps apart from Hembree stepped up big, especially Boyer with the game on the line. The 11th inning rally was a long time coming after the Sox had stranded 15 men on base previously. Its getting ridiculous how incompetent the Sox are with men on base and less than 2 outs. Still a win is a win and finally the Sox climb 10 games over .500 as the win put them at 45-35, 1 game ahead of the victorious New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Jays celebrate Canada Day although Chris Sale (10-3, 2.77 ERA) looks to ruin it. Defending the pride of Canada will be Fransisco Liriano who blinded the Red Sox the last time he faced them. The game is scheduled for 1:05 so it'll start at 1:20 for sure.
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