Toronto Blue Jays: Friendly Battle Settles Game 2

Up 5-3 in the ninth inning, Roberto Osuna shut the door against friend, and Blue Jays’ nemesis, Rougned Odor.

It wasn’t the final at-bat of the game, but the battle between Roberto Osuna and Rougned Odor swung the momentum back to the Toronto Blue Jays’ side, allowing the Jays to travel home up 2-0 in the American League Division Series.

After registering the final two outs of the eighth inning, Osuna was back on the mound to finish off the rallying Rangers in Arlington. He got ahead early against leadoff batter Adrian Beltre, but on a 1-2 count, Osuna left a hanging breaking ball right down the centre of the plate and Beltre connected.

The ball traveled deep to left field where Melvin Upton may have, or may not have, misplayed the ball as it smacked off the wall. Beltre trotted safely to second with none out to bring Odor to the plate with an opportunity to continue the rally — or tie the game.

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Adrenaline was surely pumping through the veins of both young players. Osuna, 21, threw pitch after pitch to Odor, 22, until the count grew full after six pitches.

Odor took all three balls up and away and Osuna got the second baseman swinging twice with fastballs over the plate. As the two squared off in an epic battle that kept Texans and Torontonians on the edge of their seats, the two players themselves were not as involved in this heated rivalry as the fans or some of their teammates were.

In fact, it appears as though as the two may even be friends. Prior to the start of the ALDS, the two young stars were seen embracing in warmups.

Perhaps it’s not as embarrassing as Gerry Dee is making it out to be, they are, after all, part of the brotherhood of baseball. But clearly the two are not letting the bat flip heard around the world, or Brawltista, come between the two of them.

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Friends or no friends, at the end of the day it didn’t matter. The two had a game to win.

With the seventh pitch of the at bat, Osuna threw a 95 mph fastball, the sixth consecutive four-seamer, and for the third time Odor could not keep up. After the swing, home plate umpire Lance Barksdale rung Odor up for the first out of the inning.

Even though there were still two outs to go, the momentum shift was felt everywhere. It seemed like, finally, the Blue Jays had a chance to stop the pesky Rangers rally.

With the very first pitch of the next at bat, Osuna was able to make Jonathon Lucroy pop up to second base. Three pitches later Mitch Moreland popped up as well, this time to Keven Pillar in centre field, and the Jays took a 2-0 series lead on the Rangers.

Next: Danny Barnes Replaces Francisco Liriano on ALDS Roster

The Blue Jays now head home and have a chance to win the series Sunday night. They have to like their chances as they send, arguably, their best pitcher in Aaron Sanchez to the mound to face Colby Lewis.