In a loss that will go down as one of the worst in Toronto sports history, the Blue Jays lost, 10-9, to the Seattle Mariners in Game 2 of the best-of-three wild card round playoff series.
The loss was bad enough, but any fan or person paying attention to Ontario sports betting knows that blowing an 8-1 lead was worse.
In a city that has experienced more than its fair share of heartbreaking losses, this one could perhaps be the most unlikely one yet.
A Blue Jays team that was regarded as one of the top teams in baseball on Ottawa sports betting apps held a 99% chance of winning the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when Alejandro Kirk crossed home plate. It was Toronto’s eighth run of the game.
OntarioBets.com looked into baseball’s past to find worse, more improbable postseason losses and, to no surprise, there is not much to find.
For one thing, the comeback by the Mariners was the largest ever by a road team in Major League Baseball postseason history.
In addition, it was also the largest comeback ever to clinch a playoff series.
Seattle became the third team ever to come back from at least seven runs down to win a game.
The Mariners are underdogs on Ontario betting apps in their series that starts today against the Houston Astros.
In Game One, Bet MGM Ontario has the Mariners as a +200 underdog on the moneyline.
The Astros are a -250 moneyline favorite.
Here is the list, the short list, of epic collapses in MLB postseason history:
What Went Wrong
There are many moments in the game that could be looked at as the turning point.
Kevin Gausman, who had been excellent through five innings, loaded the bases to start the sixth. After getting the next two batters out, manager John Schneider made a pivotal call to the bullpen and brought Tim Mayza into the game.
Mayza immediately threw a wild pitch, allowing a run to score easily for the Mariners. The next batter up hit a home run, bringing three more runs across the plate, and shrinking the Jays’ lead to three.
Another pivotal moment came in the eighth inning with Toronto clinging to a 9-6 lead. Bo Bichette and George Springer collided in the outfield going for a fly ball that could have been an out. Instead, the bases were loaded and Springer was lost with an injury.
Jays closer Jordan Romano, already in the game earlier than usual, was struggling. A bases-clearing double tied the game. After a scoreless bottom of the eighth from Toronto, Romano gave up two more doubles in the top of the ninth, and Seattle had a 10-9 lead that they didn’t give up.
So, what was the turning point?
Was it the call to replace Gausman in the sixth inning when he had been relatively solid until that point?
Was it Bichette not backing off and letting Springer field the ball in the eighth?
Was it Romano not able to shut the game down at home in the dome even though he had been sensational there all season long?
When talking about a collapse this big, the answer is likely a combination of all three. This comeback was a moment in baseball history, something that only had been done a couple of times, and only once since 1929.
Some Toronto sports fans simply will chalk it up to a curse on their teams and their city. Let’s not forget, the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t advanced to the second round of the NHL Playoffs since 2004, a streak that includes some pretty remarkable collapses of their own.
For this Blue Jays’ loss to easily overtake all of those as the worst that all Toronto fans can remember enduring speaks to the unlikelihood and improbability of the epic collapse.
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