Alex Rodriguez had already hit a three-run homer in the inning when he came up with the bases loaded. Mark Teixeira was intentionally walked ahead of him. The Rays were not about to let Teixeira hit his 40th home run, which would have given him the American League home run crown (he ended the season tied with Rays’ first baseman Carlos Pena). So Rodriguez lofted a fly ball over the fence in right center field, good for a grand slam.
You know how you can’t leave the court without making your last shot, or leave the hitting cage without squaring one up? Well, talk about a way to end the season. Dag. It was the 30th dinger of the year for Rodriguez, and his 100th RBI. Not bad for mising five weeks, eh?
AJ Burnett wasn’t great–he worked out of trouble early–but he was good enough. Nothing like a ten-run inning to help a fella out. Joba Chamberlain, making his first relief appearance of the season, was nasty–pop-up, strikeout, pop-up, throwing a total of seven pitches. Phil Coke and Phil Hughes pitched the eighth and Mariano Rivera tossed a scoreless ninth as the Yankees won, 10-2.
That’s 103 wins. But the Yanks will have to wait until Tuesday night to find out who they are playing. The Tigers and Twins both won today setting up a one-game playoff in what could be the final game at the Metrodome. Man, that’s exciting stuff, especially seeing as how our team isn’t playing a one-game playoff.
Ya hoid?
*AP Photo via espn.com.
End Game = new Megadeth album title
Tune Up = old Miles Davis song title
holy shit. 3rd base ump in atlanta end the braves' season on a 3rd strike call appeal. men on 2nd & 3rd, LaRoche on deck. and guess what? he didn't go. no way he went around. total bollocks. there was another crappy strike call earlier in the inning. guess the umps wanted to make their flights. what a bunch of crap. total letdown...
I'm psyched for a looooooooooong playoff run culminating in #27.
[2] i believe the term for this is:
HORSESHIT !!!
[3] i'm down with going 11-0 and making it quick 'n easy! : )
damn there is really going to be a det/min playoff - procello/baker
You know how you can’t leave the court without making your last shot,
so true - sounds like alex hit back-to-back- fall away 3s with a hand in his face
[6] Noting but net.
Just woke up to the news, 9am replay on tv here so will get to see A-Rod's homers!
Twins-Tigers playoff, that is awesome.
Beating a dead horse again here but..is baseball THAT unpopular that the Twins-Tigers situation is listed below Auburn college football in their news box?
Whoa, what happened to Miguel Cabrera? I can imagine Jim Leyland's face as he said "I want to talk about the game, if you don't want to talk about the game you can excuse yourself".
The Twins broadcast pointed out that the Yankees are in a position to f*** with the Red Sox and Angels now, esp. the Sox. Because they won't know when they're supposed to be in Anaheim, when they start, until Tuesday night.
Yanks with 6:07 pm starts for the first two games. That's unique. For the Yanks that is.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=09
6:07 starts for me means: (1) me leaving work early on Wednesday to make it to the stadium and (2) a unique and stressful tailgating session for Springsteen on Friday
[7] nice
[11] crap,if they start wednesday, i am going to miss most of the game
i am all for not starting so late, but 6:07?
according to feinsand girrardi told cc he would be pitching game 1 wednesday
[14] Is this a surprise to anyone?
[14] [15] Insofar as there's a surprise, it's that Girardi has already decided that they're playing on Wednesday. But I suspect Joe didn't mean that.
I'm actually listening to the Girardi postgame, and he very plainly says that CC will pitch Game One. "I think that's fair to say." And then they ask whether CC's been informed, and Joe says he'll go tell CC officially right after the conference. So, he didn't say "Wednesday".
[13] i know, me too. i'll have to teach until at least 8pm. i won't be home til the game's almost over. hopefully there'll be some pre-game ceremonies and it'll start late. my students are gonna witness me freaking out 'coz i won't know what's going on with the game!!! : /
[17] i agree with you in 16 - but feinsand makes it see like he specifically told cc game one on wednesday
[18] i'll probably check my phone every chance i get
[19] the only thing i can find out via my phone, is if Cult texts me. may be best i don't know - i hate being distracted when i teach...
[20] 7:07am start here, I like it!
[21] yikes!!!
[22] Man, I can't believe the WS is scheduled to go into the first week of November..imagine Philly-NY weather in those games?
CC said "Wednesday" several times after his start on Friday night, so I think they told him Wednesday.
And now it's official.
[25] What's the reason for the day off again? Have not been paying attention to this subject at all..just for tv scheduling? MLB continues to mess up the playoffs me thinks..
It's official that the Yankees are playing Wednesday (i.e., picking the A series)?
[21] I'm in London, so an 11PM start ain't so bad, compared to 1 AM for the Serious!
OK Jazz,
Delay is because the football gods outweigh baseball gods in Minny tonight. It is actually one of those perfect storm games, as former Green Bay giant, Brett Favre plays against Green Bay, and quarterbacking their ancient, bitter rivals, Minnesota (close enough to BoSox/Yanks for the analogy to be worth it). This is on Monday Night Football, which isn't the iconic event it once was, but is still pretty big.
In other words, no way that long-scheduled date was even remotely touchable. There was some talk pf playing the baseball game at noon, but way too risky, to get field adjusted for football, and what if it went 13 innings?
So, Tuesday it is.