Opposing pitchers on the wrong side of Blue Jays history

Matt Bush – Game 3 ALDS 2016

Meeting once again in the ALDS for a second consecutive postseason, the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers were not on good terms heading into this matchup. After the Bautista bat-flip and the bench-clearing brawl during the regular season, these two teams were meeting in the ALDS once again but with a bit of bad blood.

The Jays took a quick 2-0 lead in the series and were looking to finish off the Rangers at home. The game had a bit of a back and forth feel to it, with both clubs producing runs early and was tied at 6-6 after nine innings. Extras were needed and while the 10th inning produced nothing exciting, the Jays were able to put some runners in scoring position in the 11th to make things interesting.

On the bump was right-hander Matt Bush, who was entering the 11th on the heels of his third-inning out of the bullpen. Josh Donaldson started it off with a leadoff double which led to Bush intentionally walking Edwin Encarnacion to put runners on first and second. Jose Bautista struck out to put one out on the board with catcher Russell Martin up next. Martin hit a ground ball to shortstop and while Rougned Odor was able to get the out at second, his errant throw to first caused Mitch Moreland to come off the bag at first base. Donaldson continued on and was able to score in dramatic fashion at home plate, with Moreland’s throw short hopping the catcher. Rangers manager Jeff Banister threw a hail mary review call out but umpire Joe West, making one of the better translations for the decision made in New York, called Donaldson safe at home and the series was over.

While Odor is the main reason the Rangers lost the game because of his errant throw, Bush walked away with the loss. The Rangers right-hander was actually part of the Jays organization back in 2009 but never appeared in a Major League game, with the club releasing him roughly two months after being traded to Toronto due to off-the-field issues. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 and was in their organization until 2012 before being arrested for drunk driving and running over a man behind the wheel, eventually serving time behind bars.

After being released, Bush joined the Rangers two months later in late 2015 and spent the next three seasons with the club before undergoing two Tommy John surgeries in 2018 and 2019. He most recently pitched with Texas last season, posting a 6.75 ERA through four outings with the club. Bush is currently a free agent.