Chris Coghlan made an acrobatic, run-scoring leap over St. Louis All-Star catcher Yadier Molina, and Marcus Stroman came across with the go-ahead run after pinch hitting in the 11th inning and doubling for his first major league hit in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 6-5 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night.
With the score 2-2, Coghlan walked in the seventh and sped around the bases on Kevin Pillar’s triple in the right-field corner, which hit high off the fence over Stephen Piscotty and bounced back toward the infield.
Piscotty’s throw to the plate was slightly up the third-base line, and Molina leaned down to pick up the ball after its third hop. As Molina reached for the ball, the 31-year-old Coghan hurled himself over the catcher, somersaulted and landed on the plate with his helmet and left hand.
Dexter Fowler’s two-out infield single off Roberto Osuna in the ninth tied the score 6-6.
Stroman, a pitcher who had been 0 for 5 in six previous big league plate appearances, pinch hit for reliever Jason Grilli (1-2) leading off the 11th because the Blue Jays were out of position players, He fell behind 0-2 in the count, fouled off a pitch and took a ball, then lined a slider from Miguel Socolovich (0-1) into the left-field corner. After Pillar popped out, Steve Pearce hit a grounder to shortstop Aledmys Diaz, who threw wildly as Stroman scored on the Cardinals’ fourth error — all of which led to runs.
Grilli struck out the side in the 10th, and Ryan Tepera got his first big league save since 2015 when Pillar made a sliding catch on Jose Martinez’s fly to short center with a runner on second base.
Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada gave up two runs and six hits in six innings with nine strikeouts. Cardinals starter Michael Wacha allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.
After Pillar scored on third baseman Jedd Gyorko’s error for a 4-2 lead in the seventh, Jose Martinez tied the score in the bottom half with his first big league home run, a two-run drive against Joe Biagini. Jose Bautista’s RBI single off former Blue Jay Brett Cecil put Toronto ahead 5-4 in the ninth.
