Donaldson, a top contender for the American League’s most valuable player award, batted.
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“I think he got a little lightheaded, felt that something wasn’t right”, Toronto manager John Gibbonds said. “But he did pass all the tests so that’s a good sign”.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that Donaldson passed concussion tests, while Bautista’s injury is also described as mild.
He homered deep to left-centre off reliever Keone Kela to open the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Texas lead to 4-3.
No one personified the Toronto Blue Jays’ dominant offensive push for the playoffs this season more than Josh Donaldson.
One hitter later, Edwin Encarnacion nearly repeated the feat but his blast went just foul.
The Rangers won the game 5-3. He allowed two walks, hit two batters and struck out five as his career record in the postseason dropped to 1-6. He threw 90 pitches, 59 for strikes.
“That’s playoff baseball”, said Toronto second baseman Ryan Goins.
For all his regular-season exploits, Price is 1-6 in the playoffs. “So that’s good news”, Gibbons said. Encarnacion opened with a single but the Jays came up short.
“I believe he got the laces of the glove”, Navarro said. I know if it’s in his capabilities to, he will be in the lineup tomorrow. They won each of the past 10 games he’s started. The right-hander returned from a torn left knee ligament to go 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four September starts.
Donaldson did not bat in the fifth after being hurt in the fourth.
Donaldson took a knee in the head from Odor on the play and came out of the game as a precaution for pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carrera in the fifth.
Beltre could hardly run to first base after hitting an RBI single in the third and received attention from a trainer at first base. Bautista started to leave the dugout at the top of the ninth, but appeared to double-over in pain and was taken out of the game. The 36-year-old suffered the injury while sliding into second base to try to break up a double play in the first inning. The big man settled down in the second inning, striking out the side.
Beltre left after the top of the third inning with lower back stiffness. DeShields advanced on a groundout and scored on a Beltre single to make it 2-0. But the Rangers overused their bullpen in the last week; there may be a carry-over. Gallardo had not reached six innings in his last seven starts.
Donaldson stayed down on the ground for a few seconds before walking off under his own power.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson followed Revere’s single with a walk. That ended Gallardo’s scoreless streak against the Jays this season at 16 2/3 innings.
Donaldson’s helmet flew off as his head hit the inside of Odor’s left leg. Martin doubled to center.
That would be the last piece of damage inflicted by the Toronto bats on the afternoon, though.
The Rangers also lost one of their star players earlier in the game.
The 2015 American League East Division Championship banner rose to the rafters, and just like that, 22 years of waiting was over. And there was another tie to the glory days with the Canadian anthem – a recording of the late Michael Burgess from the 1992 World Series played as members of the military manned a giant Canadian flag in the outfield.
When hired at the age of 28, Jon Daniels became the youngest general manager in major league baseball history. No way the Yankees would have traded for Revere as a replacement for either Gardner or Ellsbury, but he so thoroughly outplayed them down the stretch, that he certainly made a big difference in making the Blue Jays so much better.
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The Royal Ontario Museum bathed a dinosaur skeleton in blue.
