Whole show for a magical inning
How crazy was the seventh inning between the Blue Jays and Rangers in Game 5 of the ALDS on Wednesday? Crazy enough to get its own TV special.
Fox aired an hour-long special Friday — called “The Unforgettable Inning” and hosted by former pitcher C.J. Nitkowski — recapping the frame full of bizarre plays.
The 53-minute seventh started with the teams tied 2- 2 and ended with the Jays up 6-3. Among the highlights? An errant throw into a batter by Jays catcher Russell Martin, which allowed Rougned Odor to score; an 18-minute delay to debate the ruling, during which fans littered the field with beer cans; two errors by Texas infielder Elvis Andrus and another by Mitch Moreland; an epic bat flip by Jose Bautista after a three-run home run; and two bench-clearing confrontations. SPEAKING OF BAT FLIPS: First baseman Anthony Rizzo was waiting for his turn for batting practice when he mimicked a big swing, and then flung his bat into the top of the cage and glared out at the field.
Oh yes, the Chicago Cubs were watching when Bautista unleashed that bat flip, and it was met with mischievous grins in the home clubhouse at Wrigley Field. For fans of celebratory flying lumber, this has been quite the post-season.
Asked Thursday about Bautista’s memorable display, Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber chuckled and said, “I thought it was awesome.”
Video of Bautista’s moment Wednesday night spread quickly on social media, and Major League Baseball fanned the flames by tweeting the clip several times from its main account. A BAT FLIPPER IN THE MAKING: Mini Jose Bautista has received almost as much press as the real one after his voodoo video went viral. In case you missed it, nine- year- old Oscar Wood was filmed swinging a phantom bat while donning his painted Bautista-esque beard at the precise moment the real Blue Jay launched that game-changing homer in Game 5.
By the time Oscar woke up Thursday morning, the video had gone viral online. News organizations across the United States picked up the story and it made its way to the United Kingdom. EVERYONE LOVES BASEBALL: Seriously, and it’s not just Canada. TV viewership is up 22 per cent from last year so far in the U.S., with an average audience of nearly 3.5 million — the highest level since 2010. With the large markets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the two NL Division Series averaged 5.4 million viewers on TBS, up 52 per cent from the ALDS last year when the four teams were the Royals, Angels, Orioles and Tigers.
In Canada, Rogers Sportsnet broke TV ratings records thanks to Game 5 with the largest audience in network history. Rogers said the game averaged 4.85 million viewers, with a peak of 8.1 million during the ninth inning. Some 11.5 million Canadians tuned into the game at some point during the broadcast.
LOUP BACK: The Jays have another lefty in the bullpen, with the return of reliever Aaron Loup, who missed the last two games of the American League Division Series because of a family matter. Loup joined the team Friday before Game 1 of the ALCS.