The Minnesota Twins had a 5-0 lead after scoring four runs in the fourth inning, but the Toronto Blue Jays stormed back and won 8-7 when Max Kepler’s fielding error allowed Melvin Upton Jr. to score after hitting a triple.
“That’s a first,” Upton Jr. told the Associated Press.
“There’s all different kinds of ways to lose games,” manager Paul Molitor told the Star Tribune. “That one was particularly difficult.”
It was Minnesota’s ninth straight loss, tying their 0-9 start to the season, but none have been as painful as this.
“You see the ball, you think you have a chance to dive, you dive. All out,” Kepler told the Star Tribune. “You take a risk. If you don’t take a risk, it’s going to fall in and the game [is tied]. So I’m going to try to make the best effort I can to catch the ball.
“Made a mistake. Made two mistakes. Made three mistakes. I take the blame.”
His teammates, however, appreciated the effort and were reluctant to point a finger.
“He dove for it. I appreciate him selling out for it,” reliever Ryan Pressly, who took the loss, told the Star Tribune. “I mean, that’s just how things are going for us now. Fun, isn’t it?”
[Star Tribune, Associated Press]
