6:00: The Rays were 9 games behind the Red Sox on September 1st and are now heading into the final game of the season tied with the Bo Sox. (In that span the Red Sox have been 7-19, while the Rays have been 16-10)
6:00: The Cardinals were 8.5 games behind the Braves on September 1st and are now heading into the final game of the season tied with the Braves. (In that span the Braves have been 9-17, while the Cardinals have been 17-8, including a 12-2 stretch from September 6th to September 21st)
6:00: Pitching matchups in the AL: Jon Lester (15-9, 3.49 ERA for the Red Sox) vs Alfredo Simon (4-9, 4.96 ERA for the Orioles), and David Price (12-13, 3.35 ERA for the Rays) vs Betances (0-0, 27.00 ERA for the Yankees)
6:00: Pitching matchups in the NL: Tim Hudson (16-10, 3.23 ERA for the Braves) vs Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.03 ERA for the Phillies), and Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.59 ERA for the Cardinals) vs Brett Myers (7-13 with 4 consecutive wins in September, 4.31 ERA for the Astros)
7:00: What a night for baseball fans.
7:00: Two home runs later and Ryan Lavarnway is batting 5th for the Sox tonight. Need a big start from Lester. (Lester has lost his previous three starts and has allowed at least 4 runs in each of those starts)
7:21: Big error by Ben Zobrist at second to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. The question remains though how Dellin Betances will pitch tonight. (It was just Zobrist's 6th error all season at second base)
7:54: Red Sox nation has to be loving Mark Teixeira right now. Huge grand slam for Tex to give the Yanks an early 5-0 lead. (Texeira has 110 RBI's for the 6th time in his career and the Sox, scoreboard watching, are feeling optimistic)
7:55: Michael Bourn is the fastest guy in the MLB. Huge stolen base off Hamels to put himself in scoring position. (The steal gives Bourn his 61st on the year, which is 21 more than any other National League player)
8:03: Big home run by Dan Uggla to give the Braves a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the 3rd. Phillies have two runners on right now though. (Gives Uggla more than 35 home runs for the first time in his career and more importantly, gives Tim Hudson a two run lead)
8:20: A bad mistake by Alfredo Simon to give the Sox their 2nd run off of a balk. Scuarto got inside of Simon's head down at third.
8:28: Five runs in the first for the Cards to put the pressure back on the Braves. Pujols, Berkman, Freese, Schumaker, and Punto all with RBI's.
8:35: Tex hits his second home run to give the Yanks a 6-0 lead and a few seconds later Pedroia hits a solo shot to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. (The 6 runs that Price has allowed is the most he has ever allowed in one start in his MLB career)
9:25: Jonny Venters looks wild in the 8th with 2 walks and a HBP but he comes up huge with the bases loaded to strike out Ibanez and keep the lead.
9:54: Just like Venters, Craig Kimbrel has been very wild in the 9th, as he's walked Ben Francisco and Jimmy Rollins to load the bases. (Venters gets his 35th hold of the season, which is the 2nd most in the NL)
9:56: Blown save for Kimbrel, as Utley hits a sac fly out to left field. The Braves will have to move on quickly because there are still men on. (Kimbrel's 8th blown save of the season, 3 of which have come in September, including 2 in his last 3 appearances)
9:58: The Braves are in deep trouble. They've brought in Kris Medlen, who has made just one appearance all season after coming back from injury. (Medlen has missed 13 months after having Tommy John surgery)
10:03: How bout that for your second start of the season. Medlen comes in and gets Michael Martinez to pop out to third with the bases loaded.
10:10: Valverde gets his 49th save in 49 opportunities for the Tigers. Waiting on the Rangers to see where their final position in the AL will be. (Dating back to last season, Valverde has saved 51 consecutive games)
10:18: Don't forget about an AL Wild Card playoff so quickly. The Rays have the bases loaded and have cut the Yanks lead to 7-2 in the 8th.
10:21: Red Sox nation can breathe somewhat easily for a minute. Luis Ayala gets Desmond Jennings to strike out and then gets BJ Upton to fly out to left.
10:23: I take that last post back. Evan Longoria hits a three-run home run to bring the Rays to within 1 run of the Yanks at 7-6. (Ayala lets up his first runs in all of September on the Longoria home run)
10:27: Damon pops up to second to end the threat and the Rays go into the top of the 9th down 7-6. Who will come in in the 9th for the Yanks?
10:28: Cards finish off the Astros with an 8-0 victory. Chris Carpenter pitches a complete game 2-hit shutout with 11 K's. (Carpenter allows 1 run or less for the third straight start and finishes the season with a sub 3.50 ERA for the 4th year in a row)
10:47: Down to their last pitch, Dan Johnson hits a solo home run off of Cory Wade to complete the Rays comeback and tie the game at 7 in the 9th. (It was Johnson's first hit since April 27. He had been hitless in his last 20 plate appearances. Johnson's .108 batting average coming into the at-bat was the lowest among any position player with at least 50 plate appearances. Talk about a good time to get out of a horrible slump)
10:50: With the Rangers 3-1 victory over the Angles, they clinch the 2nd best record in the AL and the Tigers finish with the 3rd best record. (The Rangers capture their 5th division title, and 2nd in a row.)
10:50: Therefore, the Rangers will play the AL Wild Card winner (the Red Sox or the Rays) and the Yanks will open with the Tigers.
10:58: The Red Sox have to be frustrated that they are coming back onto the field after the rain delay with the Rays and Yanks now going into extra innings.
10:58: Just remember that the Rays haven't knocked off the Yanks yet and that they still have to go out and score more runs in extras.
11:05: With the Brewers 7-3 victory over the Pirates, they clinch the 2nd best record in the NL and the Diamondbacks finish behind them in 3rd. (The Brewers capture their 1st NL Central division title)
11:05: Therefore, if the Cardinals win the NL Wild Card, the Brewers will play the Diamondbacks and the Phillies will play the Cardinals.
11:05: If the Braves win the NL Wild Card, the Brewers will play the Braves and the Phillies will play the Diamondbacks.
11:13 To the 13th we go in Atlanta, as Martin Prado grounds out to third with the winning runner 90 feet away from home. (The horrible month for Prado continues as he is batting just .236 in September)
11:18: Rays bring in Brandon Gomes in the 11th, who has allowed just 1 earned run in September during 11 appearances.
11:24: Bard finally catches a break in a month where he has allowed 13 earned runs in 11 appearances, as Guerrero and Wieters just miss home runs.
11:28: The Phillies go up 4-3 in the 13th as Hunter Pence drives in Brian Schneider on a bloop single by Freddie Freeman at first. (That's why the Phillies acquired Pence from the Astros before the trading deadline)
11:40: Tough way for Freddie Freeman to end his great rookie season, as he grounds into a double play and the Braves fall in 13 to the Phillies and complete a monumental collapse. (The Braves 8.5 game lead was the largest lead for a team to not make the playoffs since 1964 when the Phillies led the Cardinals by 8.5 games and missed out on the playoffs.)
11:40: The NL playoff matchups are set for Saturday. Phillies-Cardinals and Brewers-Diamondbacks.
11:50: Papelbon tries to get the save for the Sox in the 9th. The Yanks and the Rays head to the 12th after Desmond Jennings pops up with runners on base.
11:55: With no outs and runners on first and third, Longoria fields a grounder to third and inexplicably, Greg Golson of the Yanks gets caught off third base and is tagged out. (In just Greg Golson's 9th game of the season, he makes a horrible mistake that could cost the Red Sox dearly)
12:02: One pitch away from extending their season, Papelbon gives up a double to Nolan Reimond and then a single to Roberto Adindo as the O's win. (Papelbon blows just his 3rd save of the season, but it's in the most important game of the year)
12:05: Longoria, who hit the big three run home run in the 8th, hits a walk off solo home run in the 12th to send the Rays into the playoffs. (The home run completes the collapse for the Boston Red Sox, who led the Rays by 9 games on September 1st)
12:05: The AL Playoff matchups are now set: Yankees-Tigers, Rangers-Rays.
Post-Game: What an unbelievable night of baseball. We've never seen a night like this in MLB history. Just when you think you've seen it all....
Post-Game: The Red Sox are going to have the longest, hardest off season of any team in MLB history after losing a 9 game Wild Card lead.
Post-Game: Nobody can really put this day into perspective. The collapses of Red Sox and Braves will go down in baseball infamy.
Post-Game: The Yanks had runners on first and third with no outs, and Papelbon had just struck out two guys and was one out away from the victory. Funny how things can change so quickly. Golson gets tagged out between 3rd and home for the Yanks, and then Papelbon lets up a double and then the walk-off single to Andino. Longoria hits a walk-off home run to send the Rays to the playoffs and complete the worst 5 minutes of a Sox fan's life.
Post-Game: What a horrible finish for the Sox and just a terrible year for Carl Crawford. How weird is it that the final ball of the season finds Crawford, and he can't corral in left?
Post-Game: Everyone's reaction is the same - WOW! This night in baseball will always be remembered.
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