Road to the Postseason

I don’t often write about baseball on the blog. Okay, I realize that “often” is a relative term. I’m sure a lot of you are saying “Are you crazy? You write about baseball all the time!” So, let me clarify: I don’t write about baseball as often as I would like to. This is because I fear that no one will read it. But after last night, I just had to put some thoughts to paper. Or, actually, thoughts to word processor. Because last night was a demonstration of why I love baseball. So I write this for all those who mock me for my love of America’s Pastime.

Last night, the final night of the regular season, was one of the most epic, historic nights we’ve seen in baseball in many years. Let me paint the picture for you, in case you’re not familiar with the format of the MLB playoffs (feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you’re familiar with the format). Baseball is made up of two leagues: the American League and the National League. Each league is broken up into three divisions. The winner of each division gets to go to the playoffs, so that is six of the eight teams. The remaining two teams are “wild card” teams. Whichever team has the best record in its respective league, but did not win their division, is a wild card and goes to the playoffs.

So, going into last night, all the division champions had already been determined, but the wild card spots were both still up for grabs. The Red Sox and the Rays were tied in the American League with records of 90-71. The Braves and the Cardinals were knotted up in the National League at 89-72. The Braves and the Red Sox each entered September holding commanding leads in the standings, but slowly imploded, to the point that they were each in ties on the last day of the season. The Red Sox had especially failed to live up to their abilities over the last month of the season: on September 1, they were nine games ahead of the Rays; now here they were, 28 days later, tied with Tampa Bay.

Last night, the Rays were playing the Yankees at home, while the Red Sox were in Baltimore. Early on, it looked very good for the Red Sox, who led the Orioles by a run before getting a rain delay. Meanwhile, the Yankees had a seven run lead through seven innings over the Rays. But as the Red Sox entered the clubhouse to wait out the rain, everything began to unravel for them. The Red Sox were able to sit and watch the Rays score six runs in one inning, then tie the game on a home run in the bottom of the ninth. As the Yankees and Rays entered extra innings, the Red Sox headed back out to the field to finish off the game. In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox blew their lead, and lost the game on a walk off single. Now, they needed the Rays to lose to force a one-game playoff for the right to the wild card. Just minutes after they lost, the Red Sox entered their clubhouse just in time to see Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays hit a walk-off homerun to win the game. Just like that, the Red Sox’ season was over. And that is the pain of the Red Sox franchise. Not only did they suffer the worst single-season collapse in baseball history, the baseball gods arranged for a rain delay, just so the Red Sox would have to watch it happen.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the Braves, who in early September lead by eight and a half games, were hosting Philadelphia, owners of the best record in the majors; the Cardinals were in Houston, facing off against the hopeless Astros. St. Louis had no trouble dispatching Houston, 8-0 in a neat and tidy nine innings. But the Braves and Phillies went into extra innings as well, before the Phillies finally won in the thirteenth inning, 4-3. Shockingly, both expected wild card teams lost, and the upstart underdogs won. Tampa and St. Louis are going to the playoffs. The Red Sox and the Braves are going golfing.

Often, people tell me that they don’t like baseball. They call the game boring. Frequently, they tell me they can’t follow the season because there are too many games, and that a single loss doesn’t matter. Really? One loss doesn’t matter? Tell that to the Red Sox and the Braves. Every game matters, and any team can win. And if you can’t appreciate the drama that unfolded last night in Baltimore, Tampa, Houston, and Atlanta, then I just feel sorry for you.

Nights like last night are why I love baseball. Bring on the playoffs and go Yankees!