Delight. Pain. Joy. Agony. All could be felt the night of Sept. 28, 2011, which has been unofficially dubbed “The Best Night of Baseball Ever.” In a matter of minutes the MLB postseason candidates and their chances were dramatically altered. The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays were tied in the American League, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves were tied in the National League. Four games were played for two postseason spots.
Entering the ninth inning with the lead, the Boston Red Sox usually dominant closer Jonathon Papelbon surrendered a tie to the Baltimore Orioles with doubles from Chris Davis and Nolan Reimold. With two outs on the scoreboard. All Star left fielder Carl Crawford missed a fly ball from Robert Andino. Reimold scored.
Less than five minutes later, the Tampa Bay Rays, who were tied with the New York Yankees, went from being the biggest underdogs to the biggest winners. With a walk off homerun in the 12thinning from clutch king Evan Longoria, the Rays pushed themselves into the playoffs and finally ended the Red Sox’s season.
Earlier in the night, the Cardinals celebrated a similar victory as the Rays. They swiftly defeated the Houston Astros 8-0. They watched the Atlanta Braves lose a 3-2 lead to the Philadelphia Phillies. With the game tied, Hunter Pence of Philadelphia singled in the 13thinning to draw in a run. The Phillies won. Destruction complete.
This epic night has been a catalyst of events in the baseball universe. The Red Sox parted ways with Terry Francona, their manager for eight years. There are recent rumors that Sox General Manager Theo Epstein may leave the team to be a GM elsewhere, and may even become Club President for the Chicago Cubs. He is the same manager who reversed the curse and won the World Series twice with the team. The Braves fired their hitting coach Larry Parrish. It has also been reported that two of the Braves starters, All Star right fielder Jason Heyward and starting pitcher Derek Lowe, will not be guaranteed their starting positions next season. After the dramatic season finales, the Sox and Braves continue the drama in their offseason.
And let’s not forget about the teams who did make it to the playoffs. The Rays continue to play hard. As of publication they are in a dead heat with the Texas Rangers. Each has won one game. The Detroit Tigers are trying to prove they are more than their ace Justin Verlander. With Tigers Max Scherzer holding the Yankees hitless for six innings, they just might be able to pull it off. The St. Louis Cardinals are not simply letting the Philadelphia Phillies stellar starting rotation walk all over them. The teams are currently tied with a win each. Led by Ryan Bruan and Prince Fielder, the Milwaukee Brewers are crushing the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the first time in their franchise history they hold a 2-0 lead in the playoffs. Looks like America is in store for many more epic nights of baseball. Bring it on.
Photos: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-400_162-10009598-6.html?tag=page;next
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/10/02/sports/baseball/SPTSYANKEES1…