Pillar leads Blue Jays’ strong defence vs. O’s

TORONTO — The 2016 Blue Jays may not have the same offense as last year’s ballclub, but the defense has become an unmistakable staple of the current team’s identity.

While Toronto’s 5-2 victory over the Orioles in Tuesday’s American League Wild Card Game will be remembered for Edwin Encarnacion’s walk-off home run in the 11th, the team’s defense gave the Blue Jays a chance to hang tight all evening before breaking through.

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Game Date Time Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 6 4:30 p.m. TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA Gm 2 Oct. 7 1 p.m. TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA Gm 3 Oct. 9 7:30 p.m. TEX @ TOR  TBS/SN/TVA *Gm 4 Oct. 10 TBD TEX @ TOR TBS/SN/TVA *Gm 5 Oct. 12 TBD TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA *- If necessary | All times listed ETShop for postseason gear: Rangers • Complete Postseason coverage

A trio of spectacular defensive plays highlighted the outing, with Kevin Pillar starting things off with one of his patented sliding catches to rob Manny Machado of extra bases in the top of the fourth. According to Statcast™, the ball had a hang time of 4.4 seconds and landed 75 feet from where Pillar was positioned at the start of the play. Batted balls with that combination were converted into outs just 44 …

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