Okamoto's Eighth-Inning Double Breaks Washington, Toronto Wins 5-2

Kazuma Okamoto went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, doing the most damage with a two-run double in the eighth that swung Washington's win probability from 30% to 8%. Toronto took the final, 5-2.

Washington drew first blood in the fourth when Young doubled to left and Abrams scored, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead that Zack Littell — who was dealing, allowing 0 earned runs across 4.2 innings — seemed capable of protecting. But Toronto chipped away. Clement tied it in the sixth with a double to left that scored Springer, and then Varsho's infield single to third in the seventh brought home Okamoto to put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1. The game looked like it could go either way heading into the eighth.

Then Okamoto happened. With Schneider and Straw on base, he doubled to right, scoring both runners and pushing Toronto to 4-1. That single swing dropped Washington's win probability from 30% to 8% — a 21-point crater that effectively ended the contest. Springer followed immediately with a single to left, scoring Okamoto for the fifth run, and just like that a tight game had become a rout in the span of a few minutes. The story of the night was clearly that eighth-inning sequence: three runs, three batters, game over.

On the mound, Trey Yesavage was solid if unspectacular — 6.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts. He gave Toronto exactly what they needed: length and enough control to keep Washington from building anything. Louis Varland came on and was cleaner, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with just 1 hit allowed. Washington got a consolation run in the eighth when García Jr. singled to left and scored Wood, but by then the math was irrelevant. James Wood went 2-for-4 and looks like the one Nationals hitter who gave Toronto's pitching staff genuine trouble, though it wasn't nearly enough. Toronto's offense, led by Okamoto's breakout performance, was simply too much.