5.) The Comeback: Cleveland Indians rally from a 12-run deficit to defeat the Seattle Mariners at home, August 5, 2001.
In a game that was nationally televised on Sunday Night Baseball, the Cleveland Indians put together a comeback for the ages that no fan who was watching would soon forget. The Mariners were in the midst of their record-tying 116 win season, and they were in full steam on this night, coming into the game with a ridiculous 80-30 record. On the other hand were the Indians, who were seeking their sixth division title in seven years, albeit with a much more modest 61-48 record. In the beginning of the game, the Mariners announced their presence with authority, taking a 14-2 lead in the fifth inning.
Cleveland would start to claw back though, as they scored three times in the seventh, four times in the eighth and five times in the ninth to tie the game at 14-all. Jolbert Cabrera's game-winning single in the tenth inning off of Jose Paniagua sealed the deal for Cleveland, and sent the crowd at Jacobs Field into an absolute frenzy. The 12-run comeback tied for the largest in MLB history, as it was the first of its kind since 1925. Also, here's a little bit of hindsight for you: if the Mariners had won that game, they would have ultimately set the all-time record for wins in a season with 117.
4.) Padres @ Dodgers, September 18, 2006: Dodgers hit four consecutive homers to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.
This game at Dodger Stadium would prove to be one of the most memorable games ever played there, as this was a showdown for first place in the NL West. The Padres came into the day a half a game in first place ahead of the Dodgers, and by the ninth inning, they were about to extend their division lead. With a 9-5 lead, things seemed comfortably in control with reliever Jon Adkins on the mound. Then, Adkins suddenly faltered, surrendering back-to-back home runs to Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew respectively to make the game 9-7. Padres manager Bruce Bochy had seen enough, and he decided to take out Adkins in favor of his future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman. If there was anybody who could slam the door on the Dodgers, it was Hoffman.
Unfortunately for him, and for the Padres, it wasn't his night, either. As soon as he entered the game, he surrendered back-to-back home runs on two pitches to Russell Martin and Marlon Anderson to tie the game at nine. Four home runs in a row to tie the game. Incredible.
The story doesn't end here, though. The Padres were able to get up off of the canvas in the 10th inning, as they took a 10-9 lead. However, the Dodgers weren't finished, either. After a lead-off walk to Kenny Lofton, Nomar Garciaparra hit a game-winning, two-run homer off of Rudy Seanez to win the game, 11-10. This remarkable game left even the hard-to-impress Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully in awe, as he was rendered silent in shock and awe for nearly a minute after the homer was hit. After the brief bit of silence, Scully, almost as if he was in such an excited state, nearly forgot to remind his viewers of the Dodgers' standing. He made up for this by simply stating at the close of the broadcast, "I forgot to tell you- the Dodgers are in first place." The two teams would end up tying each other atop the NL West at the end of the season with an 88-74 record, with the Padres getting awarded the division crown based on their head-to-head record with L.A. The Dodgers were awarded the National League Wild Card.
3.) Twins @ White Sox, one-game playoff, September 30, 2008.
The thrilling AL Central race in 2008 needed one more game added on to the regular season to decide it. After sweeping the Sox in Minnesota from September 23-25, the Twins needed to just take two out of three from lowly Kansas City at home to win the division. It wasn't to be though, as the Royals took two out of three from the Twins. Despite this, the Twins won the final game of the season against them to put the Sox in a tough bind. Since Chicago already lost the first two games of their series to Cleveland, they had to win their final game to force a make-up game against Detroit. They defeated the Indians 5-1 to survive.
The very next day, the Sox were in another do-or-die game, this time against the Tigers. It was a make-up game that had to be completed in order to decide the divisonal race. If the Sox lose- they go home. If they win- a one-game playoff against the Twins would be played the next day. The Sox thrashed the Tigers 8-2, to set up the one-game showdown with Minnesota.
The game was a true classic, as Sox pitcher John Danks and Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn exchanged zeroes through the first six and a half innings. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Blackburn left a hanging change-up out over the plate to Jim Thome, who would crush the pitch for a 461-foot home run to center. The solo home run would be the difference in the game, as Danks and closer Bobby Jenks shut down the Twins in the final two innings to win the division, 1-0.
2.) Padres @ Rockies, one-game playoff, October 1, 2007.
The Rockies won nearly every game they had to, as they won 13 out of their final 14 games to force the one-game playoff with San Diego. The Padres had to do their part as well, because they lost their final two games against the Brewers to help Colorado get to that point. The game was an epic 13-inning, four-hour-and-forty-minute showdown between two teams battling for their postseason lives.
The Padres seemed to have the game in hand, when in the top of the 13th, Scott Hariston took Rockies reliever Jorge Julio deep for a two-run homer to take an 8-6 lead. With legendary closer Trevor Hoffman coming in to slam the door on the game, the Rockies improbable run seemed to be over.
The Rockies would not go quietly though, as Kaz Matsui led off the bottom of the 13th with a double. This was soon followed by a Troy Tulowitzki double and a Matt Holliday triple which would end up tying the game at eight. After Todd Helton was intentionally walked, Jamey Carroll hit a sacrifice fly that scored Holliday from third with the winning run.
1.) Tigers @ Twins, one-game playoff, October 6, 2009.
Despite holding a seven game lead as late as September 6, the Tigers could not hold on, as they went 11-16 after that day to ultimately lose the division to Minnesota. However, the game that the Tigers and Twins would play to decide the AL Central would be one for the ages, as the back-and-forth game went into extra innings to be decided. Alexei Casilla's game winning single in the bottom of the 12th off of Fernando Rodney would send the Twins to an improbable fifth division title of the decade. Any game that features two lead changes in extra-innings is tops in my book.
Honorable mention:
Cubs @ Brewers, Game 162, September 28, 2008. Brewers-3, Cubs-1: Ryan Braun's go-ahead, eighth inning home run would ultimately propel the Brewers to their first postseason appearance since 1982, and would send a jam-packed house at Miller Park into a frenzy. C.C. Sabathia was also excellent in this game, as he tossed a complete game against arguably the National League's best lineup.
The Tadahito Iguchi Show, Astros @ White Sox, June 25, 2006: With the Sox trailing 9-2 as late as the eighth inning, White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi would put on a performance that will live in Sox lore for years to come. He tied tied the game all by himself by hitting a three-run homer in the eighth, and a grand slam in the ninth with two outs. Unfortunately, the Sox lost the game 10-9 in 13 innings. Another Sunday Night Baseball classic.
Rockies @ Padres 22-inning marathon, April 17-18, 2008: The Rockies defeated the San Diego Padres, 2-1, in the longest game of the decade, by far. The game took six hours and sixteen minutes to be completed, and featured a whopping 15 pitchers used between the two teams. What's even more remarkable was that the game was scoreless until the 14th, when the Rockies and Padres each scored one run in their respective frames to prolong the game. Colorado was finally able to squeak one more run across in the top of the 22nd to win the game. The game ended at 1:21 am, Pacific Standard Time.
No comments:
Post a Comment