George Springer hits a single to win the series versus the Tigers

TORONTO – With an offense equally capable of exploding or snapping, you just can’t put the Blue Jays to bed. You need to close the door and lock it behind you.

The Tigers learned the hard way out Wednesday night at the Rogers Center, as Toronto bounced back in the bottom of the ninth inning to force extra innings, clearing the way for George Springer to play the hero in the tenth. As Springer’s center ball crept out of the field, scoring Danny Jansen from third, Kevin Kiermayer hit from the dugout like a shot, and his teammates quickly joined him to recruit the man of the moment.

For the first eight rounds though, the game progressed and there wasn’t much to remember more than some sloppy racing. Then came the ninth, and if you fall back, you miss the Blue Jays loading the bases with no outs. A team this talented can make a win that is unlikely to be inevitable in an instant, but it doesn’t always need to look the same.

Wednesday’s 4-3 win was all about sacrifice flies, a beautiful steal from Kiermayer and a standout defensive play by the shockingly resilient Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Just one night before, though, the Blue Jays hit five home runs and prevailed, 9-3. which felt completely different.

“It’s huge. To learn to run home there.” [is good]”It’s always great to hit a homer, but manufacturing a run in so many other ways with walks, hits, and a hit is huge for us,” Springer said. “Again, this is a tough league. The more you can do, the better.”

The ninth inning, which marked the Blue Jays’ first win in a season already decided by the running back, was all about patience. After Guerrero singled, Matt Chapman walked and Daulton Varsho worked to the full count before getting off his foot. Flies from Whit Merrifield and Alejandro Kirk sent the game into extras.

Previous iterations of the Blue Jays may have swung for the fences, and the task Kiermeyer set to get Jansen from second to third in the bottom of the tenth was certainly a fresh sight in the Rogers center, but there is beauty in the balance.

“There are certain times when it’s a good idea to take a shot,” Springer said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean hitting a homer, just hitting the ball away or into a gap. Then, there’s a lot of times to slow down and back off the gas. Everything is going to be dictated by the scoreboard.”

In 2022 and earlier, the Blue Jays are well built for drag racing. They can punch the gas and blow blow with anyone on a big night, but there’s a reason they spend their time preaching about the little things. It’s time, and tight spots like this one that separate the good teams from the great teams, because post-season baseball tends to be nine innings of these moments.

With the ability to let their foot off the gas and hit right angles, rather than just plowing forward, the Blue Jays show just how versatile they can be.

Springer’s big hit also brought justice to Kevin Gusman, who was destined for an undeserved loss. The Tigers hit Gausman with a pair of home runs over his eight innings, but the right-handed splitter otherwise gave Detroit bouts. Gausman hit 11-10 of which came on the splitter—not issued a single walk, and moved his ERA from 0.00 to 1.35 through three starts.

When Gausman looks at his trademark splitter, he admits he’s not a fan of fancy scales. He relies more on feeling and what his eyes are telling him, and that is exactly what he is looking at on the club around him.

“It’s a good group of baseball players, if that makes sense,” said Gusman. “There are a lot of guys out there who really enjoy getting dirty and being in those big situations. They kind of feed off of it. George always seems to be in the middle of it. This guy is just like everyone else. They never give up.”

Soon enough, the Blue Jays will let you all exhale with a string of straightforward, sensible winnings that are never in doubt. That hasn’t been the case so far, and with the 2022 season set to be defined by one-off games, that has become the identity of this club: never dull.

Now, Toronto is more suitable than it has been in years for these games. Even if the first eight rounds are ugly, as long as the club can keep it on the ground, winning is still their game.