Gibbons relaxed as season reaches climax

BOSTON — Judging John Gibbons’ relaxed demeanor on Saturday, it might as well have been just another midseason series at Fenway Park for the Blue Jays. Instead, the season is coming down to critical mass with a playoff spot on the line.

Before Toronto’s big 4-3 win over the Red Sox, the veteran Toronto manager sat behind his desk joking and guffawing with the media. He didn’t seem like he had a care in the world.

“Surprisingly, I feel pretty good,” he said. “These jobs wear on you, regardless of the kind of season you’re having. It’s such a long season, the ups and downs. It eats on me like everybody else. I may not show it. I’ve been around long enough to know how it works.”

The game itself was a long night of ups and downs. The Red Sox tied it in the bottom of the eighth on a Roberto Osuna balk. Then, with the suddenly flappable Craig Kimbrel on the mound, the Blue Jays won the crucial game on a walk, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch and sac fly.

“We had the lead, and when they tied the game on a balk I was wondering about the baseball gods,” Gibbons said. “They did a great job in the last inning manufacturing a run.”

Toronto’s reality is now simple: Win Sunday in the final regular-season game of David Ortiz’s career, and they host the American League Wild Card Game on Tuesday (on TBS). Lose, and well, it could be a real mess.

• Tiebreaker scenarios for Wild Card berths

Before the game, Gibbons said he was presented with all the variables and his mind grew hazy.

Afterward?

“I haven’t even thought about it to tell you the truth,” he said. “I’m not even worried about that. We want to enjoy this one. They’re hard to come by. We’ll let you guys worry about that.”

• Blue Jays clinch tie for Wild Card berth

The day began on an upbeat note for Gibbons. The Mets had just locked up the top National League Wild …

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