Toronto Blue Jays fans were left seething on Friday night after a spectator waving an American flag invaded the field during Game 6 of the World Series in Canada.
In the bottom of the sixth inning of their pivotal clash with the LA Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was about the pitch for the visitors when the invader suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
His unwelcome cameo did not last long, nevertheless, as a member of security soon ripped Old Glory out of his hand before combining with a colleague to bring him crashing to the ground at the Rogers Centre.
As he was escorted off the field by police, Blue Jays supporters made their displeasure known by loudly booing the flag-wielder after his patriotic gesture for America.
The six-inning mark eventually proved Yamamoto’s last of the evening, with the pitching sensation giving up just one run, five hits and a walk while striking out six Blue Jays batters.
At the time of the incident the Dodgers were leading 3-1 in Game 6 of the World Series, a result they desperately needed to maintain to force an all-important Game 7.
A World Series fan waving an American flag invaded the field in Toronto on Friday night
The invader appeared out of nowhere in the bottom of the sixth inning at the Rogers Centre
After being tackled to the floor by security he was eventually escorted off by police officers
And in the end they did exactly that, albeit in hairy fashion after a dramatic end to Friday night’s game in Toronto.
After winning two of three games in California, fans packed the Rogers Centre with hopes of witnessing the Blue Jays clinch their first championship in 32 years.
Instead, one rough inning from an otherwise strong start by Kevin Gausman led to their eventual 3-1 defeat on the night.
Yet the loss wasn’t crystalized until a catch-em-out, throw-em-out double play after Toronto’s Addison Barger got too greedy on the basepath, which saw the Dodgers survive and force the do-or-die final game of the baseball season on Saturday night.
With two bases occupied and one out, a home run in the ninth inning would have handed the hosts their first title since 1993.
Up stepped Andres Gimenez – who was 0-for-4 on Friday night and has batted 3-for-23 (.130) this World Series. On a 1-0 pitch, Gimenez swung and flared the ball into shallow left field. Anticipating the drop of the ball, Barger began running without tagging second base.
Instead, outfielder Enrique ‘Kiké’ Hernandez made the catch and then fired the ball over to second baseman Miguel Rojas for the force out to end the game on a bang-bang play.
The Rogers Centre fell into stunned silence. The Blue Jays’ hopes of overturning the call on review were hopeless.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s mouthwatering decider at the very same venue.
MLB’s end-of-season showpiece has not been settled by a Game 7 since 2019, when the Washington Nationals prevailed over the Houston Astros.
The last team to win a home Game 7 was the St. Louis Cardinals, who upset the Texas Rangers in 2011 during one of the greatest World Series ever played.
Since 2011, four Game 7’s have been won by road teams: the San Francisco Giants in 2014 (beating the Kansas City Royals), the Chicago Cubs in 2016 (beating the then-named Cleveland Indians), the Astros in 2017 (beating the Dodgers), and the 2019 Nationals.