It was double trouble for the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday in Sahlen Field. Home runs in the final innings were emotional crushers as the Tampa Bay Rays swept a doubleheader that ended Toronto's opening homestand in Buffalo with a 2-3 record.
The Jays lost the resumption of Saturday's suspended game, 3-2, on Brandon Lowe's solo shot to left-center in the top of the 9th. In the nightcap, they were an out away from victory but suffered a 7-5 defeat in eight innings on Willie Adames' two-run bolt to right-center.
Lowe's home run came off Toronto closer Jordan Romano, who had pitched 9 1/3 innings over his 10 outings without giving up a run. It was just the second hit in that span off Romano, who has struck out 13. Meanwhile, Adames lit up Wilmer Font.
In the nightcap, the Jays had a 5-4 lead in the seventh and final inning but Tampa Bay got even with two out as Yandy Diaz singled -- and Austin Meadows scampered home all the way from first after Teoscar Hernandez booted the ball in right field for an untimely error.
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Fireworks ensued in the Tampa Bay fourth after Toronto starter Matt Shoemaker gave up a two-out, three-run home run to Yoshi Tsutsugo to put the Rays up, 3-2. It came three pitches after Shoemaker thought he had struck out Tsutsugo. Shoemaker barked going off the field and in the dugout and was ejected by plate umpire Vic Carapazza. The veteran pitcher bolted back on the field and needed to be restrained by multiple teammates. Manager Charlie Montoyo was also tossed.
Toronto responded in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run by Vladimir Guerrero and a two-run shot by Anthony Alford. The Rays got one back in the fifth and scratched out the tying run on the Hernandez error.
The highway sign points to “Peace Bridge”That’s what @Sweet_n_Lowe5 did to this baseball pic.twitter.com/73zjABo608
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 16, 2020
Suspended animation
The suspended game was the first at home for the Jays since Aug. 28, 1980 in Exhibition Stadium. That game against the Minnesota Twins was halted after 14 innings because of a 5 p.m. curfew for a concert by The Cars as part of the Canadian National Exhibition, where the stage was erected on the field. The game was finished the next day in the 15th with the Twins winning, 7-5.
The Jays and Rays will resume play in the fourth inning Sunday at 1:07 p.m.
Rain delay revelry
The Blue Jays' emergency plan was activated Saturday because of the intense lightning around Sahlen Field, and that meant the Rays could not be in their right-field clubhouse during the delay. As per the plan, the team was herded to the ballpark's upper concourse, seating areas and suites.
"We went from the dugout, went on the concourse, hung out. We had the suites," said manager Kevin Cash. They did a good job facilitating everything. We had some snacks up there. Granola bars."
A few Rays played catch in the upper concourse and Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said his "hyper self" enjoyed the odd experience.
"To have kind of a minor-league rain delay in the big leagues is something we might not be able to experience again. It was fun," Kiermaier said before Sunday's game. "It was very minor leagues. We're hanging out in a concourse kind of bouncing around suites upstairs. ... I told (third baseman) Joey Wendle, 'This is kind of weird and different but at the same time I know we'll appreciate it and look back on it and look at it as a good time.'
"I had a great time. I really did. You create memories like that in this world of baseball that can't be replaced. We'll all remember that because it was so different than what we're used to."
Tampa Bay Rays players and staff sit in the club-level stands at Sahlen Field during Saturday's rain delay.
