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Ordonez's fourth hit caps off dramatic rally

Sep 11, 2007 - 4:02 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Magglio Ordonez would not let Roy Halladay get another win at the Detroit Tigers' expense.

Ordonez hit a walk-off, two-run single to cap off a four-run ninth-inning comeback as the Tigers rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

With the win, the Tigers (78-66) temporarily moved to within 5 1/2 games behind Cleveland (83-60) in the AL Central Division race. The Indians are playing on the road against the Chicago White Sox. Detroit also trails the idle New York Yankees (81-62) by 3 1/2 games in the wild card.

"I'm proud of these guys," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I support them to the hilt. They give me everything every day."

Ordonez's fourth hit of the contest, a two-out single off reliever Casey Janssen (2-3), split the gap between first baseman Lyle Overbay and second baseman Aaron Hill to drive home Placido Polanco and Curtis Granderson. The walk-off single followed Granderson's own two-run single three batters earlier cut into a 4-1 deficit to start the frame.

"No fatigue, no nothing, I needed to get an out and I didn't do it," Janssen said.

The single also allowed Ordonez to set a new career high in hits with 193.

"I was ready for the first, second or any pitch," Ordonez said. "I saw the pitch, made good contact and that's it."

Yorman Bazardo (1-1) set down Toronto in order in the ninth to post his first major league win.

Janssen surrendered two runs and three hits, failing to record the one out he needed to hand starter Roy Halladay his 15th win of the season. Halladay was pulled after 8 2/3 innings after surrendering consecutive singles to Sean Casey and Brandon Inge.

"We went with him for as long as we thought we could," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Halladay. "It's as potent a lineup as there is out there."

Gregg Zaun hit a two-run single in the eighth to seemingly put the game away for the Blue Jays in the eighth. The loss was Toronto's third one-run loss in as many days.