Could it have ended any other way?
Edwin Encarnacion sent the Baltimore Orioles home from the postseason with a 3-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning in Toronto on Tuesday night, giving the Blue Jays a 5-2 win in the AL wild-card game.
Encarnacion absolutely clobbered his walk-off shot. The ball left the bat at over 100 mph and traveled an estimated 440 feet at Rogers Centre.
The homer and thrilling finish is reminiscent of Jose Bautista’s walk-off home run to win last year’s wild-card game against the Rangers. This time, Toronto’s victory sends them to Texas to take on the AL-leading Rangers.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter will be criticized for the handling of his bullpen in this one. Ubaldo Jimenez gave up three hits including the 3-run homer in the 11th, while Zach Britton, the most dominant reliever in the league, did not even attempt one pitch.
