On this day, nobody was touching Marco Estrada.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander shut down the Texas Rangers' bats in Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday, allowing just one run and three hits over 8 1/3 innings in the Blue Jays' 10-1 blowout win at Globe Life Park.
Estrada finished two outs shy of throwing the Blue Jays' first complete game of 2016. The team's rotation finished the regular season without a complete game despite leading the league in innings pitched - the first time in baseball history that's happened. After Texas scored its lone run on a ninth-inning RBI groundout, Ryan Tepera entered and recorded the final two outs.
Estrada's dominant performance is one of the best single-game pitching performances in Blue Jays postseason history. The 33-year-old joined franchise icon Dave Stieb, who threw eight shutout innings in Game 1 of the 1985 ALCS, as the only pitchers in the team's 40-year history to throw seven-plus shutout innings in a postseason game.
| Pitcher | Game | IP | R | H | K/BB | Gm. Sc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stieb | 1985 LCS G1 | 8.0 | 0 | 3 | 8/1 | 83 |
| Estrada | 2016 LDS G1 | 8.1 | 1 | 4 | 6/0 | 85 |
Estrada, who threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run baseball in Game 3 of last year's ALDS - a game also played in Arlington - has enjoyed tremendous success in the playoffs during his two years in Toronto. In four postseason starts with the Blue Jays he now owns a 1.95 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts to just one walk.
The Blue Jays, who pounded Texas starter Cole Hamels for a career playoff worst seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings, now go into Friday's Game 2 holding a 1-0 advantage in the ALDS over Texas.
J.A. Happ will take the mound for the Blue Jays Friday in Game 2 opposite the Rangers' Yu Darvish.