The Blue Jays’ 8-4 win over the Rangers in Game 4 of the ALDS still stands out as one of those playoff nights where everything clicked early and never really let up.
Down 2-0 in the series, Toronto needed a response, and it got one in a hurry. Ben Revere opened things with an excellent bunt single, Josh Donaldson followed with a home run, and Chris Colabello added another blast before the Rangers even came to bat. By the end of the first inning, the Jays were already ahead 3-0 and had flipped the mood of the series.
The pressure kept building on Texas from there. Kevin Pillar launched a solo homer in the second, then Toronto kept piling on in the third.
Donaldson walked, Jose Bautista doubled, and Edwin Encarnacion’s ground out brought in a run after Bautista was thrown out trying to take third on a decoy by Elvis Andrus. Colabello doubled in another run, Russell Martin drew a walk, and Pillar singled to make it 7-1.
Toronto tacked on one more in the seventh to reach eight, and that was more than enough support for R.A. Dickey, even if the way his outing ended stirred some debate.
Dickey worked 4.2 innings, gave up five hits, didn’t issue a walk, struck out three and allowed just one earned run. He was at 78 pitches, but John Gibbons pulled him one out short of qualifying for a playoff win.
That decision didn’t sit right with everyone. Gibbons turned to David Price, even though Price had already struggled in the postseason, allowing five runs in seven innings in Game 1. Still, Price had been excellent since arriving at the trade deadline, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA, and with Game 5 looming, Marcus Stroman was already set to start the finale.
The move left room for questions, especially with Dickey so close to the win and the bullpen potentially needing every available arm for the deciding game. However it was managed, the result held: Toronto got the victory, and the series headed to a very interesting Game 5.
Elsewhere in Jays history, another postseason milestone came 34 years ago, when Toronto closed out the ALCS with a 6-3 win over the White Sox and booked a second straight trip to the World Series.
Dave Stewart handled the heavy lifting on the mound, throwing 7.1 strong innings and allowing two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three. Duane Ward finished it off, working 1.2 innings, giving up a solo homer and striking out three to earn the save.
The offense did plenty of damage, too. Devon White went 3-for-5 and punctuated the night with a ninth-inning home run.
Paul Molitor went 1-for-3 with a walk and a triple, driving in two in the ninth as part of a key three-run frame, especially after Ward allowed a homer in the bottom half. Pat Borders chipped in a 2-for-4 night with three RBIs, highlighted by a two-run single in the second and an RBI ground out in the fourth.
Toronto went on to beat the Phillies in the World Series.
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