The Dodgers lost 4-3 to the Giants last night, so the Cardinals clinched the second wild card spot. The other NL playoff participants are set: the Nationals (East Champ), Reds (Central Champ), Giants (West Champ), and Braves (First Wild Card).
Over the AL, things are still very unsettled:
AL East: The Yankees lead the Orioles by one game. The Yankees will be hosting Boston today, while the O's will be in Tampa.
AL Central: The Tigers have won this division.
AL West: The Rangers and A's are tied, and their game today will decide the division title.
AL Wild Cards: The second-place team in the AL East and the second-place team in the AL West will take the two wild cards.
UPDATE (2:40 P.M.): For the first time ever, Teddy Roosevelt has won the Presidents' Race at Nationals Park. This is a big deal in Natstown.
GO, A'S!
ReplyDeleteA's are wearing their Mitchell Page-gold jerseys again today!
ReplyDeleteThis game as a wonderful big-deal feel to it. Whenever you're paying attention to day games in October, you know that's a big deal. And this is like something out of a movie -- the young kids trying to knock off the two-time defending American League champions.
ReplyDeleteTotally reminds me of the Chris Chambliss, Yankees playoff game from 1977 or whatever.
DeleteThat's exactly the idea I was trying to capture.
DeleteIt helps that they're playing in a 1970's-style stadium. I particularly like how the outfield grass is not all the same color because of some factor that presumably relates to the football.
DeleteGREEN AND YELLOW!
ReplyDelete1-0, A's, through one inning ...
ReplyDeleteThe Nats beat the Phillies 5-1, and wrap up an MLB-best record of 98-64. The Reds could also get to 98 wins with a win over St. Louis tonight, but the Reds had Houston and Chicago in their division, so their schedule was easier than Washington's.
ReplyDeleteCongrNatulations!
DeleteOh, man ... I get a phone call from my minister, and he gets into telling me fantastic stories about being in Birmingham when Reggie Jackson, Dave Duncan, Bert Campaneris, etc. were playing for the Barons ... But by the time I get off the phone, the Rangers have scored five times in the top of the third, and, so now Oakland trails, 5-1 ...
ReplyDeleteRangers 5, A's 1 ... through three full ...
DeleteTexas gets runners on second and third with two out, but Oakland's first baseman stabs a line drive to end the top of the fourth ... "That's a beginning!" Ray Fosse encourages ...
ReplyDeleteWhat a great game. THAT'S BASEBALL, THAT IS!
ReplyDeleteWhen Josh Hamilton dropped that fly in center-field, allowing the two go-ahead runs to score, I honestly thought to myself, Did that just actually happen?
ReplyDeleteA's 7, Rangers 5 ... through four complete ...
Hamilton's lucky he wasn't playing in the 1920's. Back then, a play like that would have made him famous for decades.
DeleteIn the movie, Josh Hamilton would be the mean rich kid on the wealthy suburban team who keeps making fun of the Bad News A's.
DeleteThis game -- this whole season in the AL West -- is just as good as any of the stories I used to read about old baseball games and pennant races that happened before 1970.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers held first place by themselves for 176 days in this season. They led 5-1 after 3 innings. And now they trail 7-5 after 4.
Through seven ... still 8-5 ... this is nuts.
ReplyDeleteMLB network just showed a graphic that, I think, said only two times has there been a division or league winner to have spent only one day alone in first place ... the 2006 Twins and the Bobby Thomson Giants. I think that's what they said, anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat is what they said.
DeleteWow. Hooray for the A's. I'm not sure I've ever directly rooted for something like this.
ReplyDelete