Wingin' it: Blue Jays win Buffalo debut, top Marlins in 10th

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — In the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, Travis Shaw hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays settled into their new nest with a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.

Barred from playing in Toronto by the Canadian government over concerns about the coronavirus, the wandering Blue Jays spent nearly three weeks on the road before moving into the ballpark of their Triple-A affiliate as their temporary home this year.

And in the city famed for wings and beef on weck sandwiches, Toronto made it a tasty home opener at Sahlen Field. The downtown park, a couple blocks from Lake Erie and seating nearly 17,000, was empty because of the virus outbreak.

Francisco Cervelli's three-run homer with two outs in the Miami ninth made it 4-all. Logan Forsythe then nearly put the Marlins ahead with a long drive in the 10th that originally was ruled a two-run homer, then reversed to a foul ball on review — the replay cameras were among the upgrades made at the park to get it up to big league standards.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the 10th and Shaw singled to right field for his first RBI in 25 at-bats with the Blue Jays.

There had not been a major league game in Buffalo since Sept. 8, 1915, when the Blues swept a doubleheader from the Baltimore Terrapins at Federal League Park. Those teams were part of the short-lived Federal League.

Baseball in Buffalo did get major play in the 1984 film “The Natural” starring Robert Redford. Playing Roy Hobbs for the New York Knights in the movie, the game action scenes took place in old War Memorial Stadium, the place that hosted football's Bills and minor league ball.

Shaw's hit might not have had the same drama as Hobbs' film-closing homer, but it produced...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Wingin-it-Blue-Jays-win-Buffalo-debut-top-15477036.php