TORONTO -- The only way this could have gotten any crazier is if a Blue Jay had patted Adrian Beltre on the head.
What a game. What a mess. While Toronto fans will always remember it as the game their Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 and advanced to the American League Championship Series despite having lost the first two games at home, everyone else will recall it as perhaps the wildest, strangest and most-argued postseason inning ever.
Here's a quick recap: With two out and the game tied 2-2 in the top of the seventh, Toronto catcher Russell Martin's throw back to the pitcher hit Shin-Soo Choo's bat, allowing Rougned Odor to score the go-ahead run even though plate umpire Dale Scott had waved the play dead. The Blue Jays protested the game and the fans went crazy, throwing stuff on the field, but Odor's run held up to give the Rangers the lead.
And then Texas gave the game right back to Toronto. And we mean, they gave it to them. Because in in the bottom of the inning, the Rangers made three consecutive infield errors, with each of them involving shortstop Elvis Andrus' glove. He bobbled Martin's grounder to start things off. Then Mitch Moreland threw what should have been an easy forceout into the turf, and it bounced out of Andrus' glove to put runners at first and second. Then Andrus dropped the throw at third base on Ryan Goins' poor sacrifice bunt attempt to load the bases.
Toronto wound up scoring four runs to take the lead, with the big blow being Jose Bautista's three-run homer that sparked the first of two bench-clearing shoving matches on the field.
Oh, and there also were several play reviews. Of course, there will be millions of video reviews on YouTube in the weeks ahead.
Thumbs-up: Bautista, whose three-run homer broke open the game, and Edwin Encarnacion, who homered, singled and walked twice.
Thumbs-down: Andrus, who committed two of those three ugly errors that turned a 3-2 lead into a 6-3 deficit. He also could not hold on to the bounced throw from Moreland (who was charged with the error). Gentlemen, Elvis' glove has left the building.
What's next: While the Rangers can start a winter of kicking themselves, the Blue Jays will play in the ALCS for the first time since 1993. They will meet the winner of the Kansas City/Houston deciding game.