There’s no better game in sports than win-or-go-home contests, and Wednesday will be brimming with exciting Game 5s to see who will move on to the American League Championship Series.
Toronto will send Marcus Stroman (4-0) to the mound on Wednesday versus the Texas ace Cole Hamels (13-8), at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Toronto is hot off a two-game winning streak which saw them stay alive after being down 2-0 in their ALDS series.
The evening game will see Collin McHugh of the Astros go up against the Royals’ Johnny Cueto. Game 4 was a steal for the Royals: for the second time in two years, the Royals overcame a four-run deficit in the eighth inning or later and prevented the Astros from eliminating them from the postseason, as we learn here.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch told Fox Sports it was a tough defeat, but said his young team would put it behind them.
“We’ve got a good, resilient group,” Hinch said. “We have youth on our side, we’ll have a ton of energy and we’ll show up ready to play.”
The Jays offense is finally clicking after two games of so-so hitting. Game 4 home runs by Kevin Pillar, Josh Donaldson and Chris Collabello sent Rangers pitcher Derek Holland out of the game after only two innings.
“There’s no excuse,” Holland told reporters. “My number was called. I was prepared. I just didn’t do my job. Credit to Banny for getting me outta there and going to the next guy.”
Could it be karma creeping back to haunt Holland? In Game 2 in Toronto, Holland was filmed during his warm-up wiping his behind with a Blue Jays towel in a derogatory manner.
Game 1 of the ALCS series is set for Friday October 16.
