TORONTO -- It isn’t easy to knock Adrian Beltre out of a game. This is a third baseman, after all, who plays without a protective cup and once suffered a right testicle contusion after taking a hard grounder in the groin.

So to knock him out of a postseason game, when his team has rallied from a last-place finish in 2014 and an eight-game deficit and sub-.500 record in August? That’s especially difficult, which is why a severely pained and teary-eyed Beltre had to be surrounded by teammates and the team trainer on the field before he could be convinced that he needed to leave the Texas Rangers' division series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“That says a lot about him and what kind of player he is, what kind of man he is," left fielder Josh Hamilton said after the Rangers’ 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays. “For him to get emotional like that shows how much he cares about this game, about his teammates and about this organization."

Beltre suffered a lower back strain while sliding into second base on a double play in the first inning. The back hurt and Beltre needed a pain-killing injection, but he stayed in the game until the third inning when the Rangers took the lead. Delino DeShields singled home the first run and then Beltre singled in DeShields to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

The swing, however, caused Beltre so much pain that he hobbled awkwardly to first base. The trainer talked to him at first base, but Beltre refused to leave the game. After an inning-ending grounder left Beltre hobbling just as slowly to second, teammates gathered around him and tried to talk him into leaving, telling him they needed him to rest so he could play again this series. He finally relented, wiping his eyes as he left the field.

“Obviously, we want Adrian in the game," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. “He’s the heart and soul of this ballclub. But this is a group of guys that find a way and you saw that early on with some of the things we were capable of doing."

Indeed, Texas entered the series as the heavy underdog not only against the team that had scored far more runs than anyone else in the majors, but it also was facing league ERA leader and Cy Young candidate David Price. And the Rangers beat him up for five runs, with much of it coming from the bottom of the order.

No. 8 hitter Rougned Odor scored three runs -- he was hit by Price his first two plate appearances, then paid him back with a seventh-inning home run. And No. 9 hitter Robinson Chirinos slammed a two-run homer as well in the fifth inning.

“Anything you can do against David Price is a plus," said Chirinos, who caught the pitcher when they both played with Tampa Bay. “I know he doesn’t throw that hard against the 7, 8 and 9 hitters."

Texas starter Yovani Gallardo, meanwhile, held the powerful Jays to two runs in five innings, while the bullpen of Keone Kela, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson closed it out and silenced the previously raucous sellout crowd.

In Friday’s Game 2, the Rangers will start Cole Hamels, their deadline acquisition who was instrumental in the team rallying to win the AL West. And Toronto’s third baseman and MVP candidate Josh Donaldson also could be out after taking a knee to the head during a slide at second base. So the Rangers have all that going for them, plus the subsequent two possible games at home. It is enough to make you wonder whether we might see a repeat of what the Royals did last October.

The question is whether Beltre will be able to play Friday -- or after that. General manager Jon Daniels said an MRI revealed nothing major to his back injury and said his status is day-to-day.

“We’ll wait and see," Daniels said. “Hopefully, he’ll get some treatment this evening, get some sleep and come back tomorrow. I wouldn’t rule him out of tomorrow’s game at this point. We have an off-day Saturday, so we’ll see how we go."

Nonetheless, Daniels said the team is flying in Joey Gallo and Ed Lucas in case the injury worsens and Beltre needs to be replaced on the division series roster. If that were the case, however, Beltre would not be eligible to return until the World Series. “The news would have to be worse than it is now for us to consider that," Daniels said.

Thursday, the Rangers subbed in rookie infielder Hanser Alberto for Beltre. He double-clutched a possible double-play grounder that led to Toronto’s first run and fumbled a slow grounder as well. But he also made the final out of the game when he tagged out Edwin Encarnacion trying to go to third base.

“We’ll see what happens," Alberto said. “Hopefully, Adrian is good to play. You never know what will happen but I’ll give my best."