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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
Noelvi Marte brought the roller coaster ride to a screeching halt by drilling a two-run single through a drawn-in infield to land the Reds safely to a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bo Bichette hit a two-run home run, his 17th and Daulton Varsho followed with his 16th home run to propel Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-2 come-from-behind lead setting up the Reds dramatics.
Not only did the Reds lose the led but they faced an uphill climb after missing frustrating chances to add on to a slim lead.
Ke'Bryan Hayes' third hit of the day set the table with a lead off single. Pinch hitter Miguel Andujar popped to shortstop to make Reds' faithful followers groan. Matt McLain singled to bring a smidge of hope. TJ Friedl appeared to tie the game with a line shot to right that appeared to tie the game as Hayes and Friedl crossed the plate but hold your horses. Totonto manager John Schneider successfully argued that the ball lodged in the bullpen gate and should have been a dead ball or ground rule double.
An umpire review confirmed the ball lodged in the gate even though right fielder Addison Barger easily plucked the ball out of the gate and threw home. McLain had to slide to score. After the ruling, McLain had to return to third base, still trailing by a run. It was a bad omen. The Reds have struggled to get key hits with runners in scoring position, including this game.
The Blue Jays played for the win. The brought the infield in to choke off the run at the plate. Marte became the hero by scorching a hard ground ball between Ernie Clement at third base and Bichette at shortstop to score McLain and Friedl to win the game.
"I asked Freddie (long time Reds coach and player) if he had ever seen that," manager Terry Francona said. "He said no, he'd never seen that."
Hayes said, "I didn't see what happened. I was in the dugout. For a minute I panicked that I missed home when I scored."
"As initially deflating as it was, we had second and third," Francona said. "We had to figure out a way to get a hit or sac fly. We left some runners out there early. Against a team like that it can come back to bite you and it did. So we kept playing. That's a good characteristic to have.
Hayes a newcomer to the team, described the Reds mindset.
"We had a player's only meeting the other day," Hayes recalled. "We felt we were getting punched in the mouth. You take and then you get back up. That's been our mentality the last few days.
The Blue Jays own the best record in the American League, The started the day three games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East Division.
The Reds kept in the final push for the last National League playoff spot and avoided dropping back to .500. They stand at 70-68 for the season
Chris Bassitt started for Toronto.
The Reds got to him in the second inning. Gavin Lux doubled to open the frame. Sal Stewart in his first Major League at bat singled hard to center field with Lux stopping at third. Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled to the gap in left center. Lux and Stewart scored and Hayes went to third on the throw home. Matt McLain hit a fly to medium left. Nathan Lukes fired a strong throw to the plate to nail Hayes and end the inning.
Hunter Greene gave up a leadoff single to George Springer in the first inning. Springer stole second but Elly De La Cruz made a leaping catch on Addison Barger's line drive. De La Cruz dived to catch Springer for the second out.
The Reds had two runners on with one out in the fifth inning but did not score. De La Cruz led off the sixth inning with a triple but he was stranded. The Reds had two men on in the seventh after Hayes started the inning with a single but left them on base.
Greene shut down the Blue Jays, allowing just five hits Bo Bichette had two doubles and a single. His second double came with one out in the seventh. Greene walked Daulton Varsho. Alejandro Kirk singled to score Bichette to make it a one-run game. Scott Barlow finished the inning, stranding two runners.
Greene pitched 6 1/3 innings with one run, five hits and a walk. He struck out seven.
Tony Santillan started the eighth on the mound for the Reds. He walked Springer with one out but Hayes started a 5-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Emilio Pagan was called to pitch the ninth with Vladimire Guerrero Jr., Bichette and Varsho, the 3-4-5 hitters due up. Guerrero reached on an infield hit. Bichette hit his 17th home run, his fourth hit of the game to put the visitors up 3-2.
Bichette's father, Dante, played for the Reds in 2000. Varsho's father, Gary, played for the Reds in 1993. Guerrero's uncle, Wilton, played for the Reds early in 2001 and 2002.
