Jays lose Bichette but win thriller over Astros to take three-game lead in AL East
Published
TORONTO - Tyler Heineman was still buzzing around the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse more than 40 minutes after he drove in the winning run in the 10th inning.
Heineman hit into a fielder's choice to plate Myles Straw from third base to help Toronto rally to a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday, as the Blue Jays got a crucial win to add to their lead in the American League East. The come-from-behind victory came hours after Toronto put all-star shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left knee.
"To be honest, I've never had that happen, I've never had a walk-off in my life," said Heineman by his locker at Rogers Centre. "It was awesome, but just to do it to help the team win and inch closer to winning a pennant is literally what you dream about.
"I'm just kind of right now starting to come back down to normal. My heart was beating out of my chest for a while."
Isiah Kiner-Falefa's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth tied it 3-3 as Toronto (83-61) ended a two-game slide. George Springer led off the sixth with his 28th home run of the season.
The victory coupled with the New York Yankees' 12-2 collapse in Detroit, extended the Blue Jays' lead in the AL East to three games with 18 left to play in the regular season.
Toronto is also a half-game ahead of the Tigers for the best record in the American League.
"I wish I would have enjoyed it a little bit more, to be honest. I kind of blacked out. That's what you dream of," said Heineman. "The fans are always behind us, so it's awesome.
"The fact that we came back in the ninth inning down, down 3-1 against a really good closer and a really good team is just, I mean, it's literally what we do the entire year."
Bichette was hurt when he collided with Yankees catcher Austin Wells's shin guard in the sixth inning of Saturday's 3-1 loss in New York. X-rays taken during a nearly two-hour rain delay came back negative, and he later struck out in his final at-bat.
The 27-year-old Bichette didn't play in Sunday's finale in the Bronx and the Blue Jays had Monday off. His move to the IL was retroactive to Sunday.
Heineman said Bichette will be missed but Toronto has had a "next man up" approach all year.
"You can't replace Bo. He can't be replaced. He's a catalyst for our team. He's a leader of our team, so it's gonna be tough," said Heineman. "I think just knowing that there's a chance that he can come back just motivates us to keep playing until he's able to come back and then help us out."
Ernie Clement was slotted into the lineup at short on Tuesday afternoon and before the game Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Kiner-Falefa would also likely play shortstop.
Both stepped up in the ninth.
Clement reached base with a single and then Kiner-Falefa, pinch hitting for second baseman Andres Gimenez, had a basehit to score Heineman and Clement, forcing extra innings.
"It felt big in that way," said Kiner-Falefa, who was picked up off of waivers from the Pirates on Aug. 31 after Toronto had traded him to Pittsburgh on July 30, 2024. "Just being able to be in front of the fans for the first time and get an opportunity.
"Obviously, Bo goes down, but we have enough depth to get through. You can never replace a player like that but we're gonna do the best we can."
Schneider was still reeling from his up-and-down day that started with an MRI confirming Bichette's injury and ended with Heineman's walk-off when he sat down for his post-game conference.
"I need a beer," joked Schneider. "Weird day. Long day. Ended really well."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.