Wild Card Wednesday Definitely Wild
Written by Nolan Thomas, Thursday September 29 2011
What may go down as the most exciting day in sports history, Wednesday in the world of baseball was unbelievable, too good to be true, and something that people would not believe as fact if they saw it in a movie.
Two teams in both the National League and the American League were tied for the wild card going into the last game of the season on Wednesday. The St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves in the NL and the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL.
If both teams win or lose in each league, it goes to a one game playoff between them for the wild card in each league. That did not happen.
The similarities between each leagues wild card races were uncanny. In the National League, the Braves had a 10.5 game lead at the start of September. In the American League, the Red Sox had a 8.5 game lead going into September.
There was no way that either of these teams would blow such leads with only a month to go right? The Cardinals have no chance right?
Wrong!
The Cardinals caught the Braves in the wild card race and then won their game on Wednesday 8-0. The Braves had to win to keep their season alive.
The Braves had a 1-run lead going into the ninth with one of the best closers in the league on the mound. The Phillies tied it on a sacrifice fly and then took the lead 4-3 with a two out infield hit in the 13th inning and then ended the game with a double play in the bottom of the ninth.
Braves season over!
In the American League, a script writer could not write a more unbelievable ending.
The Yankees led the Rays 7-0 going into the 8th inning. Game over right?
Wrong!
The Rays scored six runs in the 8th inning capped by Evan Longoria’s 3-run homer and then they tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two strikes on a home run by pinch hitter Dan Johnson to send the game into extra innings.
In Baltimore, the Red Sox went into the 9th inning with a one run lead and closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound. Papelbon had only blown two saves all year. With two outs and nobody on base for the Orioles, back to back doubles tied the score and then a walk off single left Papelbon with his third blown save and the loss.
Now the Red Sox had to do the unthinkable, root for the Yankees, but not for long.
The crowd and the Rays dugout was going nuts in Tampa when the final score of the Red Sox game flashed on the scoreboard in the 12th inning of their game with B.J. Upton at the plate and Evan Longoria in the on deck circle.
Upton struck out for the first out of the inning and then Longoria took matters into his own hands as he proceeded to hit a line drive over the left field fence for a walk off wild card winning home run.
The Red Sox go home, season over.
Now that’s the way a baseball season should end and this one will be talked about for many years to come.
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