Blue Jays strike back at home, stop Royals

TORONTO – Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson and the slugging Toronto Blue Jays were eager to return to their homer dome after dropping the first two games of the AL Championship Series in Kansas City.

They showed everyone why.

The Blue Jays came out swinging and their rowdy fans were singing from the start, with Tulowitzki and Donaldson connecting in a six-run third inning as Toronto roughed up Johnny Cueto and the Royals for an 11-8 victory that cut Kansas City’s series lead to 2-1.

“That’s really what we’re all about,” manager John Gibbons said. “We desperately needed that breakout.”

Veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will try to get the Blue Jays even in the best-of-seven series Tuesday afternoon. He faces Kansas City’s 6-foot-10 right-hander Chris Young in Game 4.

Ryan Goins also homered and had a two-run single a game after his misplayed pop fly set off Kansas City’s winning seventh-inning rally Sunday.

The resilient Royals tried to come back this time, too. Kendrys Morales capped a four-run surge with a two-run homer before Roberto Osuna closed it out.

“We’re just going to keep fighting,” Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon said. “We’ve got a lot of competitors on this team and that’s what you see.”

Even with a big lead, Tulowitzki lost his cool. He was given a rare playoff ejection for arguing balls and strikes before the top of the eighth.

Tulowitzki, who struck out looking in the seventh, was restrained by teammates as he argued with plate umpire John Hirschbeck when the Blue Jays took the field for the eighth. Gibbons and bench coach DeMarlo Hale also came out to break it up.

Despite being outhit 15-11 by the pesky Royals, Toronto pounced on Kansas City’s pitching in the first ALCS game at Toronto since 1993 for their most runs ever at home in the postseason – after scoring just three in two games in Kansas City.

“You could not tell in the clubhouse if we’re down 0-2 or up 2-0,” winning pitcher Marcus Stroman said. “What we have is extremely special. The confidence that everybody has with everybody is amazing.”

Seemingly not distracted by the contentious federal elections that were being held in Canada on Monday, 49,751 fans serenaded Cueto with a sing-song “Cueto-Cueto!” chant from the game’s first pitch and never quieted down.

The Royals took a quick lead when Alcides Escobar opened the game with a triple and scored on Ben Zobrist’s grounder. But that was the only advantage Kanas City held in having its nine-game ALCS winning streak snapped. The string dated to the 1985 series against Toronto.