TORONTO -- Just win (eventually), baby.

It took 14 innings, two seventh-inning stretches, endless opportunities and a little luck, but Davis Schneider finally stepped into the role of walk-off hero in the Blue Jays’ 5-3 win over the Pirates on Friday night.

By the time the “14th-inning stretch” began to blare through the weary speakers at Rogers Centre, the song’s famous chorus -- “OK! Blue Jays! Let’s! Play! Ball!” -- was no longer the celebration it’s become known as. This time, it was a plea. Blue Jays fans were begging them.

Schneider delivered, and as the Blue Jays spilled out of the dugout to mob their beloved teammate, he finally had his first walk-off moment.

This was Toronto’s first walk-off win of the season. The team was the second-to-last team to shake that, leaving only the Angels. It was also the Blue Jays’ longest extra-inning game since MLB changed its rules for extras in 2020, starting a runner on second. What a way to launch their new “Night Mode” City Connect uniform.

“I sucked all game, basically,” Schneider said. “I was 0-for-5 and got hit by a pitch. But I made a correction in my last at-bat.”

Moments before Schneider stepped into the box in the 14th, assistant hitting coach Matt Hague pulled him aside. He implored Schneider to start his movement a bit earlier, noticing that Schneider was late and “too low” in his other at-bats.

Adding to the legend of Babe Schneider was what happened in his 12th-inning at-bat, when he took a 96.7 mph pitch to his left side. It’s amazing that Schneider was even in the game by the 14th, let alone walking this thing off.

“Oh, it hurt. It hurt a lot. It caught me right in the fat, below the ribs above the hip,” Schneider said. “At least it didn’t hit any bone, but it definitely hurt and I got the wind knocked out of me just a little bit.”

The Blue Jays’ bullpen pitched brilliantly down the stretch, holding the game in place just long enough. But the lineup could have ended the game a half-dozen times before the 14th.

That doesn’t matter now, though.

The Blue Jays need wins, wins and only wins. Process, expected stats and exit velocity are all lovely, but doing those well in a losing effort no longer matters much. As the Blue Jays try to climb their way back into contention in time for the Trade Deadline -- which could be a true pivot point for this organization in several directions -- they need to win. It doesn’t matter if there’s a few ugly ones along the way. It doesn’t matter if it takes 14 innings.

The fans needed this fourth consecutive win as much as the players, too, desperate to trust some momentum after so many failed launches in 2024.

As the 13th and 14th innings wore on, fans joined together singing the chorus of DJ Ötzi’s “Hey Baby.”

Hey, hey Baby
(Ooh aah)
I wanna know (Oh ooh)
If you'll be my girl

Over and over they sang this chorus, dozens of fans growing into hundreds and then a couple of thousand, deliriously chanting their way through the never-ending ballgame.

It’s that wonderful passion, tiptoeing along the line of madness, that needs to be rewarded.

Schneider was the perfect man for the moment. He’s not just a fan favorite, but he has earned so much respect inside the walls of the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, which was rumbling and rattling with celebration long after the win.

“I’m so happy and I thank god for him being able to do what he’s been doing so far in the big leagues,” said starter José Berríos, who threw seven innings of one-run ball. “He makes it look easy, but it’s not easy. People think it’s easy. He’s been amazing. I’m happy for him. I know he works hard, but he’s also a great person. A night like this for him is amazing.”

The Blue Jays would love their next win -- and the next and the next -- to be simpler. They would love to hand their starting pitcher a 7-0 lead and let them coast, a luxury they have so rarely been afforded this season. They’ll take this all the same, though, and with four wins in a row, they’re finally building some momentum.

This team doesn’t just need to go on a run, it needs to go on a run now. Saturday morning, this will show as a win with the number “14” in brackets next to the score. It took a while, but right now, every win is a beautiful win.