"I'm going to vomit and I don't have a dog in the fight!" Stuart Scott's reaction to tonight in baseball.
At the beginning of September, the Braves had a 8.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. At the beginning of September, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. Going into tonight every lead was gone. Each league came into the final game of the season with a tie for the wild card.
There were four games that would determine the post season. The Braves were playing the Phillies, the best team in the NL, in Atlanta. St. Louis was playing the worst team in the NL, Houston, in Houston. The Cardinals were the first team to finish their game, handling the Astros 8-0 and being the only game that wasn't determined in the 9th inning or later. The Cardinals got to sit back and watch the Braves game to see if they'd have a one game playoff or if they'd take the wild card outright.
The Braves fought against the Phillies, taking a tie into extra innings. Bloop hits and aggressive running powered Philadelphia past the Braves in the 13th inning. The Braves still had a chance. They were the home team, they could respond with one run and take it to the 14th. Chipper Jones struck out swinging at a low LOOOOOW ball. After Uggla walked, Freeman comes to the plate. The tying run is on first; the go-ahead is at bat. Freeman hits a hard grounder to first base. Instead of stepping on first, Ryan Howard throws to Jimmy Rollins, who steps on second then throws the ball back to Howard. Game ending double play. 8.5 game lead. Gone. Playoff hopes. Dashed. Cardinals, all but out on September first, wild card team.
Things are even more insane in the American League. Again, Boston comes in with a 9 game lead over Tampa Bay. After going 8-19 through September, Boston drops to a tie with the Rays. Boston is playing lowly Baltimore in Baltimore. For those of you who have never been to an AL East ball game on the east coast, late season games against Boston and New York in Baltimore are essentially home games for Boston and New York. Baltimore is close enough to both cities that fans from the more successful franchises make the trip. Baltimore is almost always eliminated from contention by September, so Orioles fans don't go to the ballpark. Boston invaded Baltimore tonight. The chants loud enough to reach the announcers and get on television were encouraging the Red Sox to victory, not the Orioles.
Boston jumps out to a one run lead with a home run. Baltimore catches up. Boston goes ahead on a balk with a man on third. Baltimore catches up. Boston scores again. Mother nature intervenes in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rain Delay.
While all that is happening, the Yankees are putting the hurt on Tampa Bay. Home runs, a grand slam, and the Yankees are up 7-0 going into the eighth inning. Things are looking awful for the Rays. They fought back from a deep hole. Boston's lead was just too much.
Back to Boston-Baltimore. Hmm, still raining.
Back to Tampa Bay. What the-How are they only down 7-6 going into the ninth?? The Yankees have been playing garbage time since the fifth inning. Who the heck are these guys? Well, there's Posada, who has played catcher all of one game all season. There's Swisher, he's a sometime starter. Nunez plays when Jeter, Cano, or Rodriguez are hurt. Who the heck is Laird? Seriously? No Yankee pitcher pitched more than two innings? They've used like 11 pitchers? Are they playing Beer League Softball??
Okay, Yankees still have a 7-6 lead, bottom of the ninth, two outs. Huh, home run. 7-7 tie.
Back to Boston-Baltimore. The rain has stopped, here we go. Boston handles Baltimore in the seventh. Ohhh here comes Scutaro from first, they're going to take the lead. DID YOU SEE THAT THROW?? Ahem-Reimold caught the ball off the bounce and made a perfect throw to home to get Scutaro trying to score. Runner on second, foul out to the catcher. End of the top of the inning. Baltimore is up.
Ground out-fly out-fly out. Okay, Baltimore, way to make them sweat.
Lead-off hitter, Jacob Ellsbury gets on base with an error. Oh, he just stole second. Now the insurance run is in scoring position with no outs. Not looking good for Baltimore or Tampa Bay. Next batter, Dustin Pedroia singles. Now the insurance runner is 127 feet from the plate. Good for you Baltimore, you made them sweat, you played a good game. Same for you, Tampa Bay, you had a good season. O-okay, Ortiz just hit into a fielder's choice with an out at second. Runners at the corners for the Sox. One out. Okay, they're walking the next runner to load the bases. Lavarnaway up. Who is this guy? Oh, he's the third catcher. They brought him up this week when the other two catchers were injured. He hit two home runs the other night. And they loaded the bases and are pitching to him. DOUBLE PLAY SHORT TO SECOND TO FIRST HOW AWESOME IS-Ahem, that would be a 6-4-3 double play. Baltimore gets into the bottom of the ninth down by one.
Back to Tampa. Still tied? Still tied. Back to Baltimore.
Baltimore is up, bottom of the ninth. Sox bring in Papelbon, their closer. As a Yankee fan, I'm familiar with this guy. He's the Sox version of Mariano. He comes in to save. You don't hit Papelbon. Boston is 77-0 when leading going into the 8th. Well, Baltimore, it's been a good game, way to fight back. Strike-out. Strike-out. Well, Tampa, you've got to win against the Yankees to force a one game playo-a double? Of Papelbon? Tying run is on second? Wait a minute, let's not go back to Tampa quite yet. They just put in a speedster as a pinch runner. This could be interesting, but they have to hit Papelbon again. Oh, that looks like it's going to be caught in the field, well good ga-IT'S IN THE GAP HOLY CRAP IT-Ahem, ground rule double to the gap in deep right. We have a tie game. We're going to extra innings! No, no we're not. Next batter hits to left field, he's got a bead on it. IT'S UNDER THE GLOVE HE DIDN'T CATCH IT! REIMOLD, THE GUY WHO GUNNED OUT THE INSURANCE RUN IS GOING TO SCORE! Ahem, screw it. BALTIMORE WINS BALTIMORE WINS BALTIMORE WINS TWO OUTS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH.
Okay, back to Tampa. If the Yankees hold on, then there is a one game playoff between Tampa Bay and Boston. If Tampa comes out ahead, they put the Sox away. 3 minutes after we switch over to the game. 3 minutes after Reimold touches home plate. Longoria gets a hit it is a deep ball. That looks foul. That looks like it's going to hit the wall. IT'S OVER THE WALL!! ITS FAIR!! TAMPA WINS AND IS THE WILD CARD! Seriously, it took 180 seconds for this collapse from the beginning of September to tonight. 180 seconds between one man in Baltimore touches home plate to one man hitting a ball out in Tampa.
Tonight was the greatest night of regular season baseball of all time. Period.
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