Roberto Osuna and John Gibbons were both integral parts of the Toronto Blue Jays' runs to the American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016. Two years after those post-seasons and the receptions they get at Rogers Centre could not be more different. Osuna was loudly booed by the 28,440 at Rogers Centre for every pitch as he closed out the Houston Astros' 4-1 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night. His 20th save of the year came hours after Crown attorneys in a Toronto courtroom dropped domestic abuse charges against him. Prosecutors agreed to close the case after Osuna promised to stay away from the alleged victim — the mother of his child — for one year and continue counselling. "When I came into the game I was focused on what I had to do, so it didn't affect me," said Osuna through a translator. "I'm very happy to see my old teammates again and also to come back to the city where I started my career. "I just want to thank the fans who have supported me during this time." Osuna, formerly the Blue Jays closer, was charged with assault in May. The 23-year-old was suspended without pay for 75 games for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy, and Toronto dealt him to Houston on July 30. Watch the Astros earn their 100th win: Game Wrap: Astros beat Blue Jays for 100th win of season Sports 1:27 Houston defeats Toronto 4-1, Roberto Osuna earns a save. 1:27 Prosecutor Catherine Mullaly said on Tuesday that the complainant, Alejandra Roman Cota, had made it clear she would not return to Toronto to testify against Osuna. Alex Bregman's two-run homer gave Houston the lead and the Astros (100-57) held on for the win. When the Oakland A's lost 10-8 to Seattle later in the night, Houston clinched the AL West division title for the second straight year. Josh James (2-0) gave up one run on four hits over five innings of work and then Houston's bullpen shut the door the rest of the way. Tony Sipp, Collin McHugh, Ryan Pressly, Hector Rondon combined for three innings of scoreless relief before Osuna came in. On the board quickly Billy McKinney's solo homer was all the Blue Jays (71-87) could muster for starting pitcher Sam Gaviglio (3-9), who allowed four runs — three earned — on six hits over five innings. He was followed out of the bullpen by Jose Fernandez, Danny Barnes, David Paulino, Mark Leiter, Jr., and Taylor Guerrieri. Every time Gibbons returned to the dugout from a mound visit fans would give him a standing ovation. It's widely believed that this is Gibbons' final season in Toronto after earning a 555-541 record over two stints with the ballclub and leading the Blue Jays to the ALCS twice. "I'm a media darling," said Gibbons with a wink. "The bad part is that I've been going out to the mound a lot the last couple of days. Tomorrow we've got a bullpen day, so I'll be out I'm sure a few times. "I've enjoyed it. It's nice of the fans. I usually walk with my head down, a little embarrassed." Bregman got the defending World Series champion Astros on the board quickly, launching a 3-2 pitch from Gaviglio over the left-field wall, bringing home George Springer for a 2-0 lead. "Honestly, I'm probably going to head to the hotel, grab some Oakley goggles out of my bag, put them on, and as the Birdman song says 'start with straight shots and then pop bottles,"' said Bergman, referring to the rapper Birdman's 2007 hit song "Pop Bottles." McKinney replied for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the third, hitting a solo home run to deep right field with two out. It was McKinney's sixth home run of his rookie season. Tyler White tacked another run on for Houston in the sixth when his base hit brought in Marwin Gonzalez and chased Gaviglio from the game. Fernandez came on with runners on first and second and no outs. Josh Reddick was the next Astro at bat and he hit what should have been an easy fly ball, but Toronto outfielders Jonathan Davis and McKinney collided chasing and the ball bounced away from them. That loaded the bases for pinch hitter Evan Gattis, whose sacrifice fly allowed Yuli Gurriel to score. Sanchez undergoes surgery Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez had surgery on his right index finger on Tuesday, officially bringing his disappointing season to an end. The 26-year-old has struggled with blisters and nail-related issues on his throwing hand for most of the year. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins expects Sanchez will be ready for spring training but couldn't confirm exactly what the procedure was or if it was successful. "I don't have a specific update beyond that because it's probably still ongoing," said Atkins, adding that he would have an update on Wednesday. Sanchez finishes the season with a 4-6 record, with a 4.25 earned-run average and 86 strikeouts over 105 innings pitched. It's a far cry from his breakout 2016 season where he played in the all-star game and had a 3.00 ERA and 161 strikeouts over 192 innings. "I know it affected him, I saw it," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "They make a living with their fingers, those pitchers. When they're that tender every time you grip a ball and let it go, it's just constant."<doc-sep>As far as family reunions go, this one was brief. One inning to be precise. Toronto Blue Jays rookie Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 24, said he was relishing the opportunity to play against his older brother, Yuli, for the first time in Major League Baseball. Yuli Gurriel, who is 34, plays for the Houston Astros, who began a three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays on Monday night at Rogers Centre. Story continues below advertisement But the on-field celebration ended abruptly in the bottom of the first inning when the Toronto third baseman had to leave the game with a left hamstring tightness sprinting to first base after hitting into a double play. The Astros would go on to record a 5-3 victory in a game that featured the return of former Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, whose reputation has been sullied after he was charged by Toronto police with assault against a female back in May. Open this photo in gallery Roberto Osuna comes in to pitch in the ninth inning on Monday. Fred Thornhill/The Canadian Press The former fan favourite was traded away at the July 31 trade deadline by Toronto to the Astros having served a 75-game suspension imposed by MLB after it conducted its own investigation into the incident. Osuna entered the game in the bottom of the ninth to protect the two-run lead and was summarily booed by many of the 20,000-plus in attendance as he jogged onto the field from the outfield bullpen to begin his warmup. The boos continued as Osuna went about his work, seemingly unbothered, as he struck out Billy McKinney, the first Toronto batter. The crowd’s mood lightened somewhat when Richard Urena poked a single to centre but a fly-out by Rowdy Tellez followed by a pop-out by Yangervis Solarte provided Osuna with his 19th save of the season. Osuna’s next court date to deal with the criminal charge is on Tuesday in Toronto. As a result, his Toronto-based lawyer instructed him not to speak to the media before or following Monday’s game. Story continues below advertisement AJ Hinch, the Houston manager, was not worried about inserting his closer into the game considering the off-field issues Osuna is also dealing with. “I think he wanted the save,” Hinch said when asked what Osuna must have been feeling when he first took the field. “I think he wanted the ball like he always does. I’m sure it was emotional for him.” As for the adverse reaction from the crowd, Hinch was equally succinct. “It was pretty expected,” he said.​<doc-sep>
There was a question coming into Monday’s game between the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays about how fans at the Rogers Centre would respond when Roberto Osuna took the mound in an opposing uniform for the first time. And not because was Osuna was some bygone ex-Blue Jays star the fans miss so much. It’s a lot more complicated actually: Osuna, the 23-year-old closer with a seemingly bright future, would likely still be pitching for the Jays if it weren’t for a high-profile alleged domestic violence case that turned into one of the biggest controversies of the baseball season. It turned out, Toronto fans made it known pretty clearly Monday night how they felt about Osuna — with a chorus of boos. Houston Astros pitcher Roberto Osuna pitches in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Monday Sept. 24, 2018. (Fred Thornhill/The Canadian Press via AP) Osuna gets the save for Astros, but wasn’t welcomed back With the Astros holding onto a 5-3 lead Monday, Osuna got the call out of the bullpen — like Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he would. Despite giving up a hit, Osuna did his job and closed the game for the Astros. It was his 19th save of the season, and 10th since joining the Astros in a July 30 trade. Those facts may not be remembered as much as the reaction, though. Here are a few scenes: Roberto Osuna returns to the Rogers Centre mound to plenty of boos. pic.twitter.com/o9ur4dB8cj — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 25, 2018 #BlueJays fans are booing Roberto Osuna between pitches pic.twitter.com/RKTaDwFon6 — Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) September 25, 2018 The boos for Osuna… so fitting pic.twitter.com/eADkziitYA — 🙏🏽 (@6ixsports_) September 25, 2018 Fans booing before each pitch Roberto Osuna throws. "How do you live with yourself?" shouted one man. "Respect women" shouted another. — Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) September 25, 2018 The criminal case against Roberto Osuna is still ongoing Story continues Osuna isn’t alone in making sports fan weigh their fandom against a player’s alleged off-the-field transgressions. We’ve seen in a number of sports in recent years, and baseball certainly isn’t immune. In yet another high-profile example: Cubs shortstop Addison Russell was placed on administrative leave by MLB last week after new details of alleged domestic abuse surfaced from his ex-wife. Osuna’s case has been a lot more complicated. He was arrested for assault in May and the case has been moving through the legal system ever since. Osuna has pleaded not guilty and denied all charges, but MLB still suspended him 75 games under its domestic violence policy. It was during his suspension that the Jays decided he’d never play for them again, opting instead to trade him to Houston. That opened a whole new can of worms, as the Astros said Osuna was remorseful but Osuna’s lawyer later clarified that Osuna was only remorseful for the circumstances, then reiterated his client was not guilty of the charges. Meanwhile, the Astros said they had a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence, which caused controversy to swirl around both Osuna and the team. A hearing was scheduled last week in a Toronto court, but it was delayed, Osuna’s lawyer said. The case, it would seem, is far from over. – – – – – – Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: • Tiger’s win is the greatest comeback in sports history • White Sox star says what many think about umpire • Charles Robinson: Latest flag on Packers’ Matthews may be worst yet • Rams’ Gurley really isn’t a fan of Thursday games