Toronto Blue Jays: Devon Travis Stars in Dramatic Comeback Win
By Paul Taylor
Devon Travis caps off a dramatic evening for the Toronto Blue Jays, as he scampers home to score the winning run after a wild pitch.
While the baseball season is a 162-game marathon, Tuesday night could quite easily turn into one of those occasions, which galvanizes the Toronto Blue Jays. Certainly, it was an evening which reinforced the belief, that anything is possible with this team.
Entering the bottom of the 12th, down two runs, few people could have envisioned how things were going to turn out. In that respect, Devon Travis turned out to be the unlikeliest of heroes.
Already proving last season wasn’t a fluke for him, Travis sprinted home on a wild pitch, to clinch a sensational, come-from-behind 7-6 victory, against the San Diego Padres. He spoke to MLB.com and the rest of the media about the winning run, afterwards in the locker room.
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Travis said: “I knew the guy (Paul Clemens) had a real good curveball, a real sharp one. I was praying for one in the dirt, and I’m thankful it took a bad bounce for them and a good bounce for us.”
As dramatic as the winning run was, it wouldn’t have been possible without the 25-year old’s at-bat, earlier in the inning. With two on, one out and facing a full count, he managed to foul off eight straight pitches.
As you can imagine, each pitch only raised the angst inside the SkyDome. Eventually, Travis’ patience was rewarded, as he earned a walk on the 14th pitch, setting the scene for the dramatic conclusion.
Discussing the seemingly never-ending at bat, the second baseman said: “I can’t imagine I’ve had an at-bat longer than that.
“By the time you get that deep in the at-bat, you’ve seen all his pitches. There’s not a certain pitch you’re looking for anymore.
“You just have to get down there and battle. That’s the biggest thing – foul off the tough pitches, and if he makes a mistake, try to take advantage of it.”
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was understandably happy with how things turned out. He spoke to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and the rest of the media about Travis’ contribution.
Gibbons said: “That’s as good as it gets, that Travis at-bat. It was a crazy game, but a big, big win for us late after falling behind.
“We’re proud of the guys and the way they came back. They kept gutting it out and competing. That’s all you ask for.”
Again, this is only one game out of 162. However, it could prove to be the one that spurs the Blue Jays on, to another AL East title and possible home field advantage throughout the postseason.
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Were you fortunate enough to be at the game on Tuesday night? Regardless, who else stood out for you, apart from Travis? Let us know in the comments section below.