TORONTO — Eleven years ago the Toronto Blue Jays kept their season alive with an 8-4 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the American League Division Series, forcing a decisive Game 5 after dropping the first two games of the series. The win set up a winner-take-all finale, and recalled an earlier clincher when Toronto beat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series for the second consecutive year.
Toronto scored early and often to build the lead. Ben Revere opened with a bunt single and Josh Donaldson followed with a home run, then Chris Colabello homered to make it 3-0 before Texas had its first at-bat. Kevin Pillar added a solo homer in the second inning, and the Blue Jays broke it open in the third when Donaldson walked and Jose Bautista doubled, Edwin Encarnacion grounded out to score Donaldson after Bautista was thrown out trying to go from second to third on a decoy by Elvis Andrus, Colabello doubled to bring home another run, and Pillar singled after a Russell Martin walk to push the lead to 7-1. Toronto added one more run in the seventh to reach 8.
R.A. Dickey allowed one earned run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts over 4.2 innings on 78 pitches, but manager John Gibbons removed him one out shy of qualifying for a postseason win. Gibbons turned to David Price, who had allowed five runs in seven innings in Game 1 and had struggled in the postseason despite going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA since joining Toronto at the trade deadline. With Marcus Stroman already chosen to start Game 5, the decision left Price unavailable for the bullpen in the finale and cost Dickey a chance to earn the win while using a rested arm deeper into the game.
Toronto also clinched the 1993 ALCS with a 6-3 win over Chicago in Game 6. Dave Stewart went 7.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts, and Duane Ward earned the save with 1.2 innings, allowing a solo home run and striking out three. Devon White went 3-for-5 with a ninth-inning home run, Paul Molitor went 1-for-3 with a walk and a triple and drove in two in a three-run ninth, and Pat Borders went 2-for-4 with three RBIs on a two-run single in the second and an RBI ground out in the fourth.
Toronto went on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. That lineup was notable for its depth, with Paul Molitor batting sixth, and featured three Hall of Famers, as shown in the table provided by Baseball-Reference.com.