Wehler Walks Off Threshers in Wrap-Up Game, Blue Jays Win 3-2

Dunedin, FL — The Dunedin Blue Jays (33-36, 1-2) finished off their six-game series against the Clearwater Threshers (46-22, 2-1) and twelve-game home stand at TD Ballpark in exciting fashion.

Dunedin sent out RHP Irv Carter to start the ball game, hoping to stop a three-game slide and prevent an 0-3 start to the Second Half on Sunday. Carter allowed two runs in the top of the first, but after that tough inning, he settled in. Over the span of his final four innings, Carter allowed just an infield single and two walks, shutting down the Threshers’ lineup and posting zeroes the rest of the way.

After Clearwater struck in the first frame, the Blue Jays answered right back in the bottom of the first. Angel Del Rosario worked a walk, advancing to second on a balk before Manuel Beltre brought him home with an RBI-double to make it 2-1. Beltre would later advance to third after a wild pitch, and Ryan McCarty would chop one to short, leaving the Threshers infield no time to throw home, opting to take the out at first with the game tied up, 2-2.

Dunedin would threaten a few times, putting a runner in scoring position in three straight innings, but just couldn’t find that final knock to bring in the go-ahead run. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays bullpen combo of RHP Leam Mendez and RHP Lazaro Estrada was superb.

Mendez pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning, and after allowing a single and a walk in both the seventh and eighth innings, Estrada struck out the side to keep it tied heading to the bottom of the ninth.

The Threshers brought in LHP Andrew Walling, who had diced up the Blue Jays in two innings of work on Thursday’s 1-0 loss, hoping to send it to extras. He wouldn’t get an out.

Jeff Wehler led off the innings, getting down 1-2 in the count and fouling off an outside slider to stay alive, and on the fifth pitch of the at bat, Wehler went deep. Wehler somehow turned on a high-inside fastball, hammering the ball over the Orange Trail Boardwalk in left, giving Dunedin their second walk-off win of the year, and first walk-off homer since Cade Doughty’s solo shot on August 21, 2022 to finish off a six-game sweep of the Jupiter Hammerheads.

With the win, Dunedin snagged their first win of the Second Half, handing Clearwater their first loss. The Blue Jays have Monday and Tuesday off before traveling across the state to start a six-game series against the St Lucie Mets, the first of twelve consecutive game days. The road series will be available live on the Dunedin Blue Jays Radio Network, with first pitch on Wednesday scheduled for 6:10 p.m. and pregame coverage beginning at 5:55 p.m.