...Prince Fielder gives instructions to a young player...
...during the European Big League Tour 2011...
...in Amsterdam (Netherlands)...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Before the game, Prince Fielder, who was in uniform, was one of the players introduced for the Rangers.
The 32-year old first baseman/designated hitter came to the Rangers in a trade in November 2013.
However, on August 10 of this year, Fielder announced that he was unable to continue playing after undergoing a second neck surgery in three years.
Fielder, who was the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2015, has not officially retired and with that, he will be placed on the disabled list in the remaining four years of this contract.
In his career (2005-2016), Fielder hit 319 homeruns, the same total as his father Cecil Fielder hit in his big league-career.
Lefthander Cole Hamels (15-5) started for the Rangers, while righthander Marco Estrada (9-9) took the mound for the Blue Jays.
This season, opponents batted only .203 against Estrada, which is the second-lowest average in club-history behind Roger Clemens in 1998.
The average was the lowest this year in the American League and third lowest in the Majors.
The first two innings remained scoreless.
Both the top and the bottom of the second inning ended with a close play at first base.
The first one, which followed a great play by short stop Elvis Andrus, was challenged by the Blue Jays, but the call was upheld.
Toronto then rallied for five runs with two outs in the top of the third inning.
With one out, Cole Hamels walked Ezequiel Carrera and he advanced to second base on a wild pitch with two outs.
Moments later, Carrera scored the first run on a double by Josh Donaldson, who was tagged sliding into second base.
This close play also ended in a challenge, but this call also was upheld and Donaldson remained on second base.
Hereafter, Edwin Encarnacion singled to bring Donaldson to third base.
He scored the next run on a single by José Bautista, who was booed each at bat and also during the introductions before the game for his past against the Rangers.
A following walk for Russel Martin loaded the bases and all three runners scored when Troy Tulowitzki followed with a triple to make it a 5-0 score.
The Blue Jays added two runs in the top of the fourth inning.
First, Melvin Upton, Jr. led off with a homerun.
With one out, Devon Travis reached on an error, moved on a passed ball and scored on a single by Josh Donaldson to lift the lead to 7-0.
That marked the end for Hamels, who was relieved by Alex Claudio, who then retired the next two batters.
In the meantime, Marco Estrada dominated on the mound for the Blue Jays.
In the first five innings, he retired the side four times, except in the second at bat and he could only blame himself for that.
In the second, Adrian Beltre led off for the Rangers with a grounder towards the rightside of the infield, where first baseman Edwin Encarnacion fielded the ball.
However, Estrada simply forgot to take over first base.
With that, Encarnacion could not throw the ball as there was no one at first base and Beltre was credited with an infield-hit.
And he was the lone Texas-runner in the first five at bats.
Texas then got its second baserunner in the bottom of the sixth inning when Elvis Andrus led off with a single
But moments later, he was caught stealing in a double play, while batter Shin-Soo Choo struckout.
Texas registered its third basehit in the bottom of the seventh inning when Carlos Beltran singled with one out.
Beltran had started the season with the New York Yankees, then came to Texas in a trade on August 1.
The inning ended when Adrian Beltre grounded into a double play.
Marco Estrada then retired the side again in the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Blue Jays scored again off of new pitcher Jake Diekman.
He was greeted with a lead-off single by Josh Donaldson (who was 4-for-4), then gave up a single to Edwin Encarnacion.
Hereafter, José Bautista lined the ball into deep leftfield for a 3-run homerun that increased the lead to 10-0.
Bautista also homered on Tuesday against the Orioles.
Later in the bat, Toronto stranded two runners.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Marco Estrada returned to the mound for the Blue Jays trying to throw the first complete game in his Major League-career.
On his first delivery, Estrada gave up a lead-off triple to Elvis Andrus, who then scored the first Texas-run on a following grounder by Shin-Soo Choo.
That was the signal for Toronto's Manager John Gibbons to come to the mound and replace his pitcher.
Ryan Tepera took over for Estrada and retired the next two batters to end the game.
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Toronto wins big in ALDS-opener against Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas (USA) -
Toronto Blue Jays opened the best-of-five American League Division Series on Thursday (October 6) with a big and convincing 10-1 victory against Texas Rangers.
At Globe Life Park in Arlington, Marco Estrada dominated for the Blue Jays and gave up only four basehits in 8-plus innings.
The Blue Jays collected 13 basehits, including four by Josh Donaldson.
Texas won the American League West Division championship-title for the second consecutive year and the seventh time in club-history.
The team is in the postseason for the fifth time in seven years.