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Daily Pitch
Pillar, Jays head to ALCS

Toronto sweeps Texas, heads to ALCS;
Pederson's Dodgers lose to Nats


Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays pulled out a 7-6, 10-inning win Sunday to sweep the Texas Rangers 3-0 and advance to the A.L. championship series.

It was an unusual game for CF Kevin Pillar.

With one out, Blue Jays on first and third, and the score tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 6th inning, Pillar came to the plate. Though Pillar had managed just one hit in the playoffs, a home run in Game 2, Rangers P Jake Diekman intentionally walked him. The .267 career hitter had received a free pass only once before since making his MLB debut in 2013.

In the top of that same inning, Pillar showed he was mortal after all. With two out and Rangers on first and second, Mitch Moreland launched a deep fly to the gap in left-center. Pillar laid out horizontally in a bid to make one of his patented catches and nearly succeeded, but the ball bounced off his mitt, and two runs scored to put Texas up 6-5. To be sure, this was no error. Moreland was properly credited with a double, which was the hit's destiny with anyone in the outfield besides Pillar. But as MLB.com's Chris Landers nicely put it, we've come to expect to the impossible from him.

"Over four seasons in the Major Leagues, Blue Jays center fielder and possible superhero Kevin Pillar has established a very specific reputation: If you hit a fly ball anywhere in his range (read: zip code), he will almost definitely come down with it. Even if he has to leap a tall building in a single bound...Except, well, funky things happen in October. And this time, Pillar laid out ... and couldn't quite make the play."

Pillar was interviewed after the win, which came before a hometown Toronto crowd. The victorious Blue Jays will face either Boston or Cleveland in Game 1 of the A.L. championship series on Friday. Cleveland leads the Red Sox 2-0.

Dodgers

Joc Pederson did everything the Dodgers asked him to Sunday, but it wasn't enough to stave off a 5-2 loss to the host Washington Nationals in Game 2 of their N.L. division series, evening the series at 1-1.

The center fielder singled in his first at-bat, a sharp ground ball to center in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom of the 3rd, Pederson came to the plate with one out and men on second and third, but Texas P Tanner Roark intentionally walked him.

Pederson didn't get another chance to hit. With one out in the top of the 5th and a Dodger on first, Pederson was due to bat, but the Rangers replaced righty Roark with southpaw Marc Rzepczynski, and that triggered L.A.'s platoon switch. (Pederson is rarely allowed to face lefties.) Pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig took Pederson's place at the plate and drew a walk.

Game 3 takes place in L.A. at 4:00pm ET today on the MLB Network.

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