Today in 2016, the Jays needed a win over the Red Sox to make it to the Wild Card Game.

A win or go home game, that would get the Jays to the next win or go home game.

Aaron Sanchez went seven innings, allowing two hits, one earned, two walks and six strikeouts. He won the ERA title that year. The future looked bright for young Aaron. The Hanley Ramírez home run against him was high over the left field foul pole; they ruled it fair, but there was no way of really knowing. The Jays appealed, but they were going to go with the call on the field, no matter what (times haven’t changed at all).

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Sanchez took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Offensively we did very little—nine hits, but just the two runs:

Devon Travis hit a fifth inning home run.

And in the eighth: Josh Donaldson led off with a single and Edwin Encarnacion. walked. Then Jose Bautista hit into a double play, but Russell Martin hit another soft grounder that became a single and Troy Tulowitzki singled home the game wining run.

The bullpen did a great job too:

Brett Cecil started the eighth, getting an out and giving up a single.

In came Joe Bigini. He got a groundout and a strikeout.

Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth. He got Mookie Betts to ground out, David Ortiz tapped on along the first base line, that Russell Martin made a nice play on. Well, with Ortiz’s speed, I could have made the play. Hanley Ramirez walked and Xander Bogaerts singled (just to add drama). Jackie Bradley ground out to end the game.

From the Recap:

Jays of the Day: Sanchez (.253 WPA), Biagini (.199), Tulo (.141). And I’m giving one to Travis, even though he had a .075, because that was a huge homer. And I’m giving one to Josh for that great play on defense.

Suckage: Baustista, even with a single and a walk, had a -.115, much of that on the double play ball.

We would go on to beat the Orioles in the Wild Card game. Edwin Encarnacion hit an 11th-inning home run off Ubaldo Jimenez (with Zack Britton sitting in the bullpen waiting for a save opportunity that never came. That Buck Showalter was some manager).

If you want to see the highlights: