On Friday night, the Blue Jays secured a victory in a 14-inning showdown against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The bullpen was immaculate in maintaining pace, even without closer Jordan Romano.

The Blue Jays made a very festive appearance, sporting the new City Connect Jerseys under the Friday night lights. The dome was opened, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were welcomed in for a three-game set.

Right-hander Jose Berrios took the start and was dominant as usual. He served seven innings giving up 1 earned run on six hits, and struck out five. The offence stayed parallel in this game, keeping a one-one tie into extra innings.

Let’s talk about the relief end of the pitching. Right-hander Chad Green came in to relieve Berrios, and he served an inning of work with no damage done. Yimi Garcia served one, and Pearson came in for two, which bled into extra innings.

Tim Mayza followed suit, pitching 1.1 innings, where an unearned run scored. Genesis Cabrera was then summoned for 1.2 innings of work and was dominant; he picked up the win on the night as Davis Schneider pushed an oppo-two-run shot in the bottom of the 14th inning to walk it off.

The bullpen’s work in this game was beyond spectacular, and they should collectively be credited with this win, although that’s not how it works. The international runner rule was in effect during the extra innings portion, providing pressure for everyone on the mound.

The entire bullpen executed pitches, lessened bases on balls, and kept free 90s to a minimum, if none at all. Groundouts and flyouts pushed that go-ahead run 90 feet on the fielder’s choice at worst. The bullpen collectively totalled 50 strikes over 73 pitches, walked only one hitter, and struck out five.

The performance from the outfield gates speaks to the competence of the relievers and bullpen pitching depth. The Jays have a good selection of righties and lefties to fit various scenarios. The back end of the pitching staff is above satisfactory in reliability.

This was all done without Jordan Romano, who was listed as unavailable for the night due to elbow soreness. His last appearance was on May 29th against the White Sox.