Between now and the end of the season, one thing that will always lie ahead of the Blue Jays is opportunity.

Even after a tough series loss over the weekend to the Yankees and their division lead shortened to two games, Toronto returned to their home ballpark (where they are 45-24 this season) to face another American League power in the Houston Astros.

You can put tonight’s game in the category for opportunities which the Blue Jays took advantage of, as a walk-off hit from Tyler Heineman handed the Jays a 4-3 win over the Astros, capping off a comeback in a game where Blue Jays hitters were held quiet for most of the game. With runners on first and third in the bottom of the 10th, Heineman grounded a ball to first that Christian Walker had to dive to collect, but by the time he made a throw to the plate, the speedy Myles Straw had already slid home safely.

Trailing 3-1 after the sixth, the Blue Jays squandered multiple opportunities to cash in some runs throughout a couple of the latter innings, but they were able to string together base runners against Astros closer Bryan Abreu in the bottom of the ninth. Alejandro Kirk led of the frame with a walk, Ernie Clement singled to move the runner over, and Davis Schneider walked to load the bases.

That set the stage for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who singled home a pair of runs to tie the game. Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless 10th inning, and the Jays took care of business during the half inning after.

Taking it back to the beginning, the Astros jumped ahead quickly against Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber. Shortstop Jeremy Peña ripped a double on the first pitch of the game, and he was cashed in on a two-run home run by Carlos Correa just two batters later for a 2-0 lead.

Despite falling just one out shy of a quality start, Bieber dealt with traffic on the base paths most of the night. He had only one inning in which he faced the minimum, but every frame he pitched tonight featured at least one baserunner. Bieber got to two outs in the top of the sixth inning with a runner on first base, but back-to-back knocks from Jake Meyers and Yainer Diaz drove in the third run of the night for Houston and would end Bieber’s night.

With the Astros ahead, their pitching staff did everything they could to keep it that way. They were still dealt a tough hand of cards early in the game when starter Luis Garcia exited during the top of the second inning.

Garcia, who was only making his second start since May of 2023 due to an extensive recovery from Tommy John surgery, motioned to Houston’s dugout and his arm after throwing a fastball up to Ernie Clement. Minimal conversation was needed before Garcia headed to the dugout, and the Astros are falling in danger of losing another starting pitcher to the Injured List.

Working quickly on their feet, the Astros handed the ball to 25-year-old rookie AJ Blubaugh, who had only appeared in six games prior tonight in a couple different capacities. Given the magnitude of the series, the Astros needed some length to keep as many bullpen arms as fresh as possible.

Well, that’s exactly what they got, and the innings he ate up were as effective as they were necessary. Blubaugh needed only 40 pitches to cover 3 1/3 innings, allowing no hits or runs, striking out four, and walking only one batter. He collected eight total whiffs, with seven of those coming against his fastball. That pitch varied quite a bit in velocity, but the max of 97 mph was a quick change of scenery from what Blue Jays hitters were seeing from Garcia.

Blubaugh’s departure is when the tides looked like they were starting to shift, as George Springer crushed his 28th home run of the season against Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos in the bottom of the 6th inning. Not only did that mark the first hit of the ball game for the Blue Jays, but it was only the second earned run De Los Santos had allowed since joining the Astros in early August. That home run also gives Springer six home runs against the Astros in 23 games against them since signing with the Blue Jays.

A slew of Toronto relievers held the Astros in check after Bieber’s start, including Brendon Little and Hoffman, a pair of high-leverage arms looking to rewrite their second halves. All told, Blue Jays relievers combined to throw 4 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball with two hits, two walks, and one strikeout. Hoffman earned his ninth win of the season, which is tied for second on the team with two other pitchers.

It won’t be glorified as much as Kiner-Falefa’s clutch hit or Heineman’s winning hit, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a fabulous defensive play at the top of the 10th with Jose Altuve serving as the ghost runner on second base. Victor Caratini grounded a ball sharply to first with nobody out, but instead of Guerrero recording the sure out at first, he fired a strike to Addison Barger at third base to eliminate the lead runner.

The second game of this series starts at the same time and same place tomorrow night with José Berríos on the bump versus Jason Alexander.

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