Jays' blunder hands final game to Orioles

It was a fitting end to a season full of disappointment for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jeff Fiorentino's sacrifice bunt, combined with a throwing error by pitcher Brandon League, allowed Baltimore to score the winning run as the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings at Oriole Park at Baltimore's Camden Yards.

League (3-6) made two throwing errors on sacrifice bunts in the inning, as the Jays ended the season with a dismal 75-87 record.

"Leaguer's done a great job for us this year, I know he feels terrible," manager Cito Gaston said. "It happens that way sometimes."

Toronto entered the final game of the season in the midst of turmoil. The team had just fired general manager J.P. Ricciardi, and Gaston suggested a conspiracy outside the organization was behind reports of a mutiny in the Jays' clubhouse.

With all the off-field distractions, the Jays came out swinging in their season-ender. 

Toronto jumped out with a homer in the first, from Edwin Encarnacion, who took starter Jeremy Guthrie over the left-field wall.

That raised the Toronto third basemen's season average to .223.

Baltimore responded a few minutes later with a long ball of its own with Nick Markakis's 18th home run this season, with a man on, for a 2-1 Orioles lead.

Back-to-back doubles tied the game in the fourth, Travis Snider doing the honours at the plate and a Jose Bautista shot to left in the fifth made it 3-2 Toronto.

Rookie southpaw battles

Jays rookie Ricky Romero (13-9) had a bumpy start, giving up a two-run shot in the bottom of the first, but he zeroed right in on catcher Rod Barajas from there and allowed nothing else through five.

In the sixth inning, the young lefty loaded the bases with none out before setting out to work out of the mess.

Rookie Matt Wieters grounded to third and Encarnacion came home with a one-bouncer that Barajas did a nice job corralling for one out that could have been two.

Nick Markakis popped up and pinch-hitter Justin Turner, in for Melvin Mora, who may have played his last game as an Orioles after a long career (he's headed for free agency), singled up the middle, scoring two for a 4-3 Baltimore lead.

Guthrie couldn't live with the largesse, however, and he grooved one in the top of the seventh to John McDonald that the light hitting infielder rode over the left field wall for his fourth of the season and a 4-4 tie.

He left with two outs and two on in the Toronto eighth, giving up four earned runs, nine hits, a couple of walks and three big home runs.

Romero himself was done after seven, surrendering four runs on five hits and striking out eight, falling short in his bid for his 14th victory of the season.

"It's been a fun year," Romero (13-9) said. 

"[There were] a lot of doubters out there and I kind of did what I had to do. There are some small things I just got to clean up, and hopefully come back [next season] with a couple of new pitches."