Yu Darvish was pulled after allowing five earned runs in five innings Friday. It was one of the shortest starts of Darvish’s career.

After an eight-pitch first inning, which is tied for the shortest opening frame of Darvish’s career, the Texas Rangers pitcher allowed a second-inning two-run home run to Troy Tulowitzki. The Toronto Blue Jays followed that up with solo home runs by Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Edwin Encarnacion in the fifth inning.

Toronto held on for a 5-3 win.

Historical context

The four home runs allowed by Darvish on Friday are a career high for him in any game. Darvish became the eighth pitcher to allow four or more home runs in a postseason game, and the first since Rick Reed of the Minnesota Twins in 2002.

The Rangers’ righty became the fifth player in postseason history to allow at least four home runs in a home game, joining Reed (2002), Dave McNally (1973), Gene Thompson (1939) and Charlie Root (1932).

Darvish allowed three home runs in the fifth inning alone. Thursday night, Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox allowed three home runs to the Cleveland Indians in the third inning. Prior to Thursday, no pitcher had allowed three home runs in a single inning in a postseason game since Oct. 7, 2003 (Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs).

It was the first time the Blue Jays hit at least four home runs in a postseason game.

Fastball uncharacteristically bad

All four of Toronto’s home runs Friday came off Darvish’s fastball. He had not allowed more than two home runs off his fastball in a game prior to Friday, and that only happened once during the 2016 regular season (Aug. 17 against the Oakland Athletics).

Darvish allowed seven home runs on 823 fastballs thrown during the regular season (0.9 percent). The Blue Jays hit four home runs off Davish’s 48 fastballs Friday, which is nearly 10 times his regular-season rate.

Kevin Pillar’s home run came on a 95 mph fastball well above the strike zone. It was just the second home run allowed by Darvish on a pitch outside the strike zone all season.

Pillar had not homered in his previous 317 plate appearances entering that at-bat.

Blue Jays keep mashing

The Blue Jays’ eight home runs this postseason are tied for second most in MLB history through the first three games of a team's postseason run, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The New York Yankees had nine home runs through three games during the 1995 postseason. The 2002 Angels also had eight home runs.

All that hitting has the Blue Jays in a great position -- up 2-0 in the series and heading back to Toronto. Road teams that have won the first two games of a best-of-five postseason series are 27-3 in those series.