Blue Jays and Astros combine for 40 strikeouts, 14 innings, two great catches and a walk-off
The Blue Jays and Astros faced off on Monday for a marathon contest that featured a ton of strikeouts, a ton of innings and a handful of splendid defensive plays.
When it was all over, the Astros pulled out a dramatic 2-1 win in the 14th inning -- but more on that later, since the circumstances surrounding the final inning were a bit unique.
The game began with a pitcher's duel between
After Fister departed, lefty
Things didn't go too well for Feldman, as Correa drove in Altuve with a game-winning double that directly led to some high-energy hugs:
And made Correa a very happy man:
What makes this scenario especially notable is Feldman's acquisition was the second time in a matter of days in which the Jays completed a trade with a team they were currently playing. The same fate befell Melvin Upton Jr. last week.
All told, Monday's game featured 40 combined strikeouts. Astros wunderkind
He's obviously quite excited to be with the big league team these days, as he sent out this tweet mere minutes after the game was over:
Atta baby @TeamCJCorrea !!!!!!! #WalkOff
— Alex Bregman (@ABREG_1) August 2, 2016
After the game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch admitted to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm that the Feldman situation was a bit awkward:
"It's somewhat uncomfortable. A few hours ago, he's in our clubhouse and a big part of our chemistry and our culture and then we walk him off. Obviously, as competitors, as soon as he changes uniforms, you change your affection for that guy, but legitimately have some weird feelings about seeing him on the other side."
Then again, as Martin said, it's all part of the unpredictable and at times frustrating game:
"That's tough, that's tough. Then he gets the loss on top of that. That's not the way you necessarily want to go into a new club but you know what? It happens. It's baseball. We're happy to have the guy and I'm sure it's going to get better from here."
"It's baseball" is a pretty solid way to sum up everything that went on at Minute Maid Park on Monday night ...