Blue Jays' Springer fumes after two botched calls as AL East race tightens

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays saw their margin in the AL East shrink to one game after a 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, a result that followed the New York Yankees' walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox.

Two borderline calls separated the teams in the second inning. With the bases loaded and Boston ahead 1-0, Springer hit a 2-1 pitch down the third-base line that replays suggested crossed the bag in fair territory; third-base umpire Scott Barry ruled it foul. The play was not reviewable, and Toronto manager John Schneider said the sequence should have produced two runs, potentially changing the game’s tone. Moments later, Lucas Giolito's 2-2 slider missed the zone, yet home-plate umpire Doug Eddings rang up Springer for strike three to end the frame. Toronto would eventually tie the game in the fourth, but Boston answered with a three-run burst in the sixth and pulled away.

Toronto tied the score in the fourth, but the Red Sox again took control with three runs in the sixth to claim a 4-1 win. The loss trimmed the Jays’ AL East lead to one game, even as they hold the tiebreaker over the Yankees. Toronto’s remaining schedule remains challenging: two games left against Boston, followed by three against the Rays. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ path includes two games vs. the White Sox and a finish against the Orioles. The Blue Jays also vie for the AL’s top seed, holding a two-game edge over the Seattle Mariners.

“We know it’s going to come down to the wire,” Schneider said, per MLB.com, “and we’ll continue to stay focused on what we have to do. We’ve got another tough pitcher Wednesday in Garrett Crochet, so you’ve got to come ready and not dwell on anything. Every game is going to be important.”