TORONTO
The ending felt inevitable and it looked painful. The crowd at Rogers Centre built itself into a fever pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning as Royals reliever Franklin Morales faced Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson. When Donaldson smashed a single into center field, the dome filled with sound, a booming celebratory of Kansas City’s 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays.
Donaldson hounded the Royals all evening. He plated shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who had advanced to second base on a balk by Morales. Manager Ned Yost turned to Morales in extra innings because he had used most of his available arms, aware that a left-handed pitcher like Morales would be in danger against Toronto’s core of right-handed power hitters.