Austin Hays robs Whit Merrifield with sensational 9th-inning catch to secure Orioles win over Blue Jays

The AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles are fresh off a series win over the New York Yankees.

On Monday, they got off to a spectacular start against the fellow division rival Toronto Blue Jays thanks to a game-saving catch by Austin Hays.

With two men on and one out in the bottom of the 9th inning of a 4-2 game, Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield took the plate as the go-ahead run against Orioles closer Felix Bautista. Bautista offered up a 100 mph 0-2 fastball that Merrifield roped into left centerfield. Off the bat, it looked like a two-run, game-tying double.

Hays had other ideas. The Orioles left fielder chased down the ball and dove with his body parallel to the turf in an effort to make the catch. His effort was not in vain. Hays came up with the ball via a spectacular grab for the second out of the inning that sent Blue Jays baserunners Kevin Kiermaier and Alejandro Kirk scrambling back to their bases. Kiermaier barely made it back to first base, preventing what would have been a game-ending double play.

Instead of facing a potential tie game, the Orioles maintained their 4-2 lead. Bautista then struck out Santiago Espinal on the next at-bat to lock down victory by the same score.

With the win, the Orioles improved to 65-41 and extended their lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays to 1.5 games in the division. The 59-48 Blue Jays now trail by 6.5 games. The last-place Yankees stand a full 10 games back at 55-51 in a division where no team has a losing record.

Through 106 games, the Orioles are the best of the bunch and working to extend their margin. They’re doing so with plays on both sides of the ball.