Encarnacion blast joins list of Jays' biggest playoff homers
1st baseman's wild-card winner Tuesday in company of Carter, Bautista bombs
Edwin Encarnacion treated Toronto fans to their latest big post-season homer (this one without the bat-flip theatrics) with his walk-off, three-run shot in the 11th inning to win Tuesday night's American League wild-card game against Baltimore.
The Blue Jays now move on to a best-of-five ALDS series, in a rematch against rival Texas.
Here's a look at other memorable playoff taters by the Blue Jays:
'Touch 'em all, Joe...'
"... You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life." Late Blue Jays radio voice Tom Cheek delivered the iconic call of Joe Carter's walk-off shot to win the 1993 World Series. The three-run blast, which just cleared the fence in the left-field corner at SkyDome, came off Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6. It was only the second time the Fall Classic has ended on a homer.
The bat flip heard 'round the world
The deciding game of the 2015 ALDS in Toronto reached its boiling point in a wild, 53-minute seventh inning that included three Rangers errors and a field-littering tantrum by Toronto fans. Jose Bautista came to the plate in the bottom of the frame with the game tied 3-3 and runners on first and third, and deposited a pitch from former Blue Jays reliever Sam Dyson over the fence in left-centre. The blast, measured at 442 feet, proved to be the margin of victory, and Bautista's bat-tossing celebration became a flashpoint in baseball's culture wars.
Alomar takes Eckersley deep
With two out, Devon White on third and the Blue Jays trailing 6-4 in the top of the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 1992 ALCS, Roberto Alomar drilled a pitch from flamboyant Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley, the reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, over the right-centre-field fence to tie Game 4 in Oakland. Toronto won 7-6 in 11 innings, took the series in six games and went on to win the first of back-to-back World Series titles.
Sprague comes through in a pinch
With one out in the top of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 1992 World Series in Atlanta, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston had Ed Sprague hit for setup man Duane Ward with Derek Bell on first base. Sprague wasted no time against Braves closer Jeff Reardon, belting a low fastball over the left-field fence to give Toronto a stunning 5-4 win that evened the series. Sprague's first pinch-hit appearance of the season, and only his second homer, helped propel Toronto to its first World Series title.