Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement had ‘never done’ sacrifice bunt that walked off Angels
Ernie Clement’s first-ever sac bunt led to a walk-off win as the Blue Jays beat the Angels 4-3 and extended their winning streak.
The Toronto Blue Jays extended their winning streak to six games with a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night at Rogers Centre. The win, which improved the Blue Jays’ season record to 50-38, came in unusual fashion, via Ernie Clement’s first-ever sacrifice bunt that resulted in a game-ending error.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, with the score tied 3-3 and Myles Straw placed as the automatic runner on second base, Sam Bachman took the mound for the Angels. Bachman promptly walked leadoff hitter Nathan Lukes, putting two on with no outs. Clement then laid down a bunt to the third-base side of the mound. Bachman fielded it but overthrew first base, allowing Straw to score the winning run.
“I’ve never done it,” Clement admitted of the sac bunt postgame, via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. “But we’ll take it for sure.”
The error was Bachman’s second miscue of the inning and was a rare walk-off via sacrifice bunt. The Blue Jays now lead the majors with 20 sacrifice bunts, tied for first in MLB, showcasing a willingness to execute in close games through unconventional means.
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The Blue Jays’ offense surged in the sixth inning, sending seven batters to the plate and scoring three runs. Will Wagner doubled to open the frame and scored on Andres Gimenez’s RBI single. Gimenez, who was replaced shortly after due to a recurring ankle injury, advanced to third on a George Springer single. Bo Bichette followed with an RBI single, and Springer later crossed home after Angels shortstop Zach Neto committed a fielding error on Addison Barger’s grounder, extending the lead to 3-0.
Starter Eric Lauer delivered a strong performance, pitching a season-high 6 innings. He allowed only three hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one, lowering his season ERA to 2.65. He retired the first 12 batters he faced before Jo Adell doubled in the fifth.
Although Eric Lauer was pulled in the seventh after giving up consecutive singles to Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, his strong outing was only blemished when reliever Nick Sandlin gave up a three-run homer to Jo Adell, his 19th of the season, which tied the game at 3-3.
Toronto’s bullpen came through when it mattered most, even with Jeff Hoffman and Braydon Fisher unavailable. Brendon Little, Yariel Rodríguez, and Chad Green combined for scoreless frames from the eighth inning onwards. Green pitched the 10th and earned the win.
Springer continued his offensive tear, going 2-for-4 to extend his hot streak to 22-for-43 (.512) over his last 12 games, with four home runs, 19 RBIs, and 15 runs scored during that span.
The Blue Jays were without Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was resting a bruised right foot, and lost Andres Gimenez partway through the game, but still managed to improve to 30-16 at home. The win gave them a two-game lead over both the Yankees and Rays in the AL East.
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