The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Sunday in the rubber match of their three-game series. A disputed non-call in the sixth inning proved pivotal to the outcome.
The Blue Jays rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on the corners and one out, Brandon Valenzuela grounded to shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Ernie Clement, running from first to second, veered wide to avoid a tag attempt. Second base umpire Nic Lentz did not call Clement out for deviating from his base path. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz argued the play, but the umpires ruled that Clement had established his path and Henderson's tag attempt was insufficient. Jesús Sánchez scored on the play, and Toronto added four more runs with two outs to take a 5-4 lead. The runner gets to create their own lane, Clement said after the game. Henderson noted he would not chase the runner far when trying for a double play. Blue Jays manager John Schneider described the play as fortunate. The victory improved Toronto to 32-34, placing the team a half-game out of the final American League wild-card spot. The loss dropped Baltimore to 31-35.
