TORONTO (Interstat) — In a game that defied projections and pulsed with late-inning drama, the Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays battled to a 7-7, 11-inning tie on Saturday afternoon and evening at Rogers Centre before a crowd of 40,268. The marathon contest, which lasted 3 hours and 38 minutes, was suspended due to a curfew rule after the 11th inning, leaving both clubs with a stalemate after a relentless back-and-forth struggle.

The game’s pivotal moment, and the catalyst for its wild trajectory, arrived in the top of the seventh inning. Trailing 2-1 and having been stifled for six innings by Toronto ace Dylan Cease, the Athletics’ offense erupted against the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Jeff McNeil and Max Muncy led off with singles, and after a strikeout, Denzel Clarke’s RBI single tied the game. A walk to Nick Kurtz loaded the bases for Shea Langeliers.

The Athletics’ catcher, who had struck out against Cease in the sixth, delivered the decisive blow of the early evening. On a 1-1 pitch from reliever Brendon Little, Langeliers launched a towering drive to center field for a grand slam, suddenly transforming a one-run deficit into a 6-2 lead. The slam accounted for four of Langeliers’ game-high four RBIs on a 2-for-4 day.

Until that swing, the game belonged to Cease. The Blue Jays’ right-hander was dominant, striking out 12 Athletics over 5 1/3 innings while allowing just three hits and one earned run. He left with a 2-1 lead, a margin built on George Springer’s RBI double in the third inning and Daulton Varsho’s run-scoring single in the sixth.

The Blue Jays, however, refused to capitulate. They immediately chipped away in the bottom of the seventh, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. driving in a run with a single to make it 6-3. Then, in the eighth, Toronto mounted a sustained rally. With two on and one out, Jesús Sánchez and Andrés Giménez delivered consecutive RBI singles, the latter from Giménez knotting the score at 6-6. Giménez finished a remarkable 4-for-5 with an RBI.

Oakland’s bullpen, which had seen a large lead evaporate, temporarily regained the edge in the 10th. With the automatic runner on second, Brent Rooker’s two-out single to right field plated Nick Kurtz, putting the Athletics ahead 7-6.

Needing a run to extend the game in the bottom of the 10th, Toronto again responded. Giménez led off with his fourth hit, moving the automatic runner, Jesús Sánchez, to third. After a strikeout, Addison Barger delivered a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Sánchez to deadlock the game at 7-7.

The Blue Jays nearly won it in the ninth, when Alejandro Kirk sent a solo home run over the left-field wall with two outs to tie the game at the time, 6-6. Kirk’s blast set the stage for the extra-inning drama.

In the 11th, both teams threatened but could not break through. left two runners on base. In the bottom half, Toronto put two on with one out after an intentional walk to Kirk and a sharp single by Daulton Varsho. With the winning run in scoring position, the game was halted due to the curfew, resulting in the tie.

The outcome left the Athletics with an 0-2-1 record to start the season, while the Blue Jays moved to 2-0-1. The teams combined for 22 hits, with Toronto holding a 14-8 advantage, but were ultimately undone by a combined 30 runners left on base.

Beyond Cease and Langeliers, key performances included a strong start from Oakland’s Jeffrey Springs, who allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings, and a series of effective relief appearances from Toronto’s Tommy Nance, Tyler Rogers and Spencer Miles, who combined for 3 1/3 perfect innings with five strikeouts.

The game wildly exceeded the pregame projections. Interstat’s simulator had predicted a 2-1 Athletics victory, while its ELO system gave Toronto a 59.2% chance to win. The 14 total runs sailed over the over/under line of 8.5, and the Blue Jays failed to cover the -1.5 spread.

The Athletics and Blue Jays are scheduled to conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre. then travels to Atlanta for a three-game set, while Toronto will host the Colorado Rockies for three beginning Monday.