Toronto at Athletics

Toronto at Athletics

This is Missed It. Toronto at Athletics, Wednesday, September 9, 89 and partly cloudy at Sutter Health Park, with the Blue Jays. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here, folks. The Toronto Blue Jays are in town to take on the Athletics. We're just getting underway, and we've got a ballgame ahead of us. The Jays are looking to get things going, and the Athletics are looking to hold serve at home. We'll see who comes out on top.

Innings 1-3

We get things started in the top of the first, and it's a quick one. The Blue Jays send four batters to the plate, but we can't get anything going. No runs, no damage, and we're back out there. Score stays at zero-zero. The Athletics come up in the bottom of the first, and they're just as quiet. Three batters, no runs. We're still tied at zero. Top of the second, and it's more of the same for our guys. Four batters, no runs. We're not getting anything going at the plate, and it's starting to feel like one of those games where the first run is going to be huge. Bottom of the second, and the Athletics are starting to make a little noise. They get five batters up, and with two outs, they've got two runners on base. Brian Serven is at the plate, and this is a moment. The crowd is on their feet. The pitch comes in, and Serven swings and misses. Strike three. The inning is over. We escape. It's still zero-zero, and that was a big moment for us to get out of that jam. That could have been the game right there. Top of the third, and we're still searching. Four batters, no runs. We just can't seem to find a rhythm at the plate. The Athletics are pitching well, and we're not making them work hard enough. Bottom of the third, and the Athletics break through. With one out and nobody on base, Henry Bolte steps in. He gets a pitch he likes, and he doesn't miss it. That ball is crushed to left center field, and it's gone. A solo home run. Just like that, we're down one. Zero to one. That's the first run of the game, and it came on one swing. We've got to answer.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, and we need a response. We get five batters up this time, but we still can't push a run across. Zero to one, and the Athletics are holding that lead. Bottom of the fourth, and the Athletics are adding on. With one out and a runner on, Max Muncy steps in. He gets a pitch he can handle, and he sends a sharp line drive to left field. Charles McAdoo is out there, but he can't get to it. That ball is down. Tommy White is on third, and he scores. Muncy is on first, and now we're down two. Zero to two. That's a tough one. We needed to hold them there, and they found a way to scratch another one across. And they're not done. With one out and two on now, Donovan Walton comes up. He lifts a fly ball to right field. Brett Bateman is out there, and he makes the catch. But Muncy tags up and moves to third. So we get the out, but the runner advances. The damage is done. We're down two, and we need to find a way to get back into this game. Top of the fifth, and we finally get something going. With one out and nobody on, Brett Bateman steps in. He gets a pitch he can drive, and he sends a line drive to left field. Carlos Cortes is out there, but he can't track it down. That's a double. We've got a runner in scoring position, and we need a hit. Nathan Lukes is up next. He gets a pitch and sends a ground ball to second base. Donovan Walton is there, but the ball is deflected by the pitcher, Scott Blewett. It's enough to get through. Lukes is on first, and Bateman moves to third. We've got runners on the corners with one out. This is our chance. And then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. steps in. This is the moment. We've got a runner on third, a runner on first, and one out. We need a hit, a sacrifice fly, anything to get a run across. Guerrero Jr. gets a pitch and grounds it back to the pitcher. Scott Blewett fields it, fires to second base, and they turn the double play. Lukes is out at second. Guerrero Jr. is out at first. Inning over. We had them right where we wanted them, and we couldn't cash in. That one stings. We had the tying run at the plate, and we came up empty. Bottom of the fifth, and the Athletics go quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're still down two, and we're running out of time. Top of the sixth, and we need something. Three batters, no runs. We're just not getting it done at the plate. Zero to two, and we're heading into the final stretch.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. We're down two, and we need to find a way to get something going. Bottom of the sixth, and the Athletics are up. With one out and nobody on, Carlos Cortes steps in. He pops it up to shortstop. Andrés Giménez is camped under it, and he makes the catch. One out. The Athletics go down in order, and we've got a chance to make something happen. Top of the seventh, and we need a spark. Ernie Clement leads off. He grounds out, third baseman Zack Gelof to first baseman Tommy White. One down. We're not getting any luck. Josh Smith comes up with two outs and nobody on. He swings and misses. Strike three. Inning over. We're running out of chances. Bottom of the seventh, and the Athletics are looking to add on. Max Muncy leads off, and he takes a walk. He's on first with nobody out. We need to keep them from scoring. But the next three batters can't bring him in. They go down in order after that. We escape, but we're still down two. Top of the eighth, and this is it. We need to get something going. Brett Bateman leads off. He grounds out, third baseman Zack Gelof to first baseman Tommy White. One down. George Springer comes up with one out and nobody on. He flies out sharply to center fielder Denzel Clarke. Two down. We're running out of time. Bottom of the eighth, and the Athletics go quietly. Three batters, no runs. We've got one more chance. Top of the ninth. Down two. This is our last shot. Alejandro Kirk leads off. He swings and misses. Strike one. He swings and misses again. Strike two. He swings and misses. Strike three. He's out. One down. We're down to our final two outs. The next two batters can't get anything going. The game is over. We go down quietly.

Wrap-up

And that's the ballgame. The Toronto Blue Jays fall to the Athletics, zero to two. We had our chances, especially in that fifth inning with runners on the corners and one out. But we couldn't get the big hit when we needed it. The Athletics got the home run from Henry Bolte, and they added on from there. We just couldn't find a way to answer. It's a tough loss, but we'll be back at it tomorrow.

Outro

That was Toronto at Athletics, from the Blue Jays side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Toronto at Athletics

This is Missed It. Toronto at Athletics, Wednesday, September 9, 89 and partly cloudy at Sutter Health Park, with the Athletics. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here at the Coliseum, and we've got the Toronto Blue Jays in town to take on our Athletics. Two teams looking to make a statement, and we've got the ball first at home. The energy is building, the crowd is filing in, and there's that familiar buzz that comes with a night of baseball under the lights. We're ready to go, and we're hoping the bats wake up early tonight. Let's play ball.

Innings 1-3

Top of the first, and the Blue Jays come out swinging. They send four batters to the plate, but our pitching holds firm. No runs across, and we're still knotted at zero. The defense looks sharp, the arms look live, and there's a quiet confidence on the field. We head to the bottom half, and our guys are up. Three batters, quick work, and we're back to the dugout. Still zero-zero, but it feels like something's brewing. Top of the second, Toronto again. Four batters, no runs. Our pitcher is dealing, keeping them off balance, and the Blue Jays can't seem to find any rhythm. We come back up in the bottom half, and this is where things start to get interesting. Five batters come to the plate, and we're threatening. Two outs, two runners on, and Brian Serven steps in. The crowd is on its feet, willing him to come through. But Serven strikes out swinging, and the inning dies right there. The runners are stranded, the score stays zero-zero, and you can feel the collective sigh. So close, but we're not cashing in yet. Top of the third, and Toronto is still searching. Four batters, no runs, and we're still locked at zero. But then comes the bottom of the third, and this is the moment we've been waiting for. One out, bases empty, and Henry Bolte digs in. He gets a pitch he likes, and he doesn't miss it. Bolte homers on a fly ball to left center field, and the ball just keeps carrying. The crowd erupts. That's a solo shot, and we've got ourselves a one-nothing lead. The dugout is buzzing, the energy is electric, and suddenly this game feels different. We're on the board, and it's all thanks to one big swing.

Innings 4-6

Top of the fourth, and Toronto is trying to answer back. Five batters come to the plate, but our pitching continues to hold. No runs across, and we still lead one to nothing. Now it's our turn again in the bottom half, and we're looking to add on. One out, a runner on, and Max Muncy steps in. He takes a swing and sends a sharp line drive to left fielder Charles McAdoo. It's a single, and Tommy White races to third. Muncy's on first, and we've got runners at the corners. The crowd is roaring, sensing something big. Then Donovan Walton comes up with one out and two on. He hits a fly ball to right fielder Brett Bateman, and it's deep enough. Max Muncy tags and scores from third. That's a sacrifice fly, and we've extended our lead to two to nothing. The inning continues, but that's the damage. We're up two-nothing, and the Blue Jays are feeling the pressure. Top of the fifth, and Toronto is desperate to get something going. One out, bases empty, and Brett Bateman steps in. He lines a double to left fielder Carlos Cortes, and suddenly the Blue Jays have a runner in scoring position. The tension ratchets up. Then Nathan Lukes singles on a ground ball to second baseman Donovan Walton, deflected by pitcher Scott Blewett. Bateman holds at third, and now Toronto has runners at the corners with just one out. This is the moment. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. steps to the plate, and the crowd holds its breath. He grounds into a double play, pitcher Scott Blewett to second baseman Donovan Walton to first baseman Tommy White. Lukes is out at second, Guerrero Jr. is out at first, and just like that, the threat is gone. The inning ends, the score stays two to nothing, and we've dodged a bullet. The defense came up huge when it mattered most. Bottom of the fifth, and we're back at it. Three batters, no runs, and we're still up two to nothing. Top of the sixth, Toronto again. Three batters, no runs. Our pitching is locked in, and the Blue Jays can't find a way through. We head to the stretch with a two-run lead, and it feels like we're in control.

The Sequence

Bottom of the sixth, and we're trying to add some insurance. One out, bases empty, and Carlos Cortes steps in. He pops out to shortstop Andrés Giménez, and the inning fizzles out. Three batters, no runs, and we're still up two to nothing. But this is where the game gets decided. Top of the seventh, Toronto. No outs, bases empty, and Ernie Clement grounds out, third baseman Zack Gelof to first baseman Tommy White. One down. Two outs, bases empty, and Josh Smith strikes out swinging. The crowd is getting louder with every out. Three batters, no runs, and we're two outs away from the eighth. Bottom of the seventh, and we're looking to pad the lead. No outs, bases empty, and Max Muncy walks. He's on first, and we've got a chance. But the next three batters can't bring him home. Four batters, no runs, and we're still up two to nothing. Top of the eighth, Toronto. No outs, bases empty, and Brett Bateman grounds out, third baseman Zack Gelof to first baseman Tommy White. One down. One out, bases empty, and George Springer flies out sharply to center fielder Denzel Clarke. Two down. Three batters, no runs, and we're just three outs away. Bottom of the eighth, and we're trying to close this out. Three batters, no runs, and we head to the ninth with a two-run lead. Top of the ninth, and this is it. No outs, bases empty, and Alejandro Kirk steps in. He strikes out swinging, and the crowd is on its feet. One out away. The next two batters can't do anything, and the game is over. We've done it. Two to nothing, and the Athletics take this one.

Wrap-up

Final score, Toronto zero, Athletics two. We held them scoreless from start to finish, and that's a complete game effort. The pitching was sharp, the defense was clutch, and Henry Bolte's home run was the spark we needed. This one feels good. It feels like a statement. We came out, we played our game, and we got the win. That's all you can ask for. We'll take this one and build on it. Go A's.

Outro

That was Toronto at Athletics, from the Athletics side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.