Sometimes 162 games isn't enough to figure out which 8 teams are headed for the post season... and a tie breaker is needed.Each of the last three seasons have included a tie breaking 163rd game... and all of them were tense 1 run affairs. And two of them were extra inning thrillers where the eventual winners were 3 outs from elimination.
It's painful enough to be eliminated in the post season... but imagine the angst of the three teams that missed October ball by the thinnest of eyelashes!
Let's remember the Best Tie Breaker Games of the 2000s...
BEST ONE GAME TIE BREAKER OF THE 2000s (AMERICAN LEAGUE)
The Tigers coughed up a 3 game lead with 4 to play, setting up an epic, wild, back and forth and controversial one game playoff.Homers by Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez for Detroit and Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera sent the game into extra innings.
Detroit took the lead in the 10th, putting Minnesota three outs from elimination. But Don Kelly of the Tigers misplayed a flyball by Michael Cuddyer putting the tying run at third with nobody out. He would score the tying run but the winning run was thrown out at home by Don Kelly.
With the bases loaded in the 12, Bobby Keppel appeared to have hit Brandon Inge with a pitch. But the ump said the ball never hit him. The Tigers didn't score in that inning and in the bottom of the 12th Alexi Casilla drove home Carlos Gomez with the Division Clincher.
Jim Thome's 7th inning homer was the only scoring as John Danks threw 8 innings of 2 hit shutout ball, clinching the Central for the White Sox. Ken Griffey threw out Michael Cuddyer at home to end the 5th and kill the Twins best scoring chance.
BEST ONE GAME TIE BREAKER OF THE 2000s (NATIONAL LEAGUE)
The Padres looked like a formindable playoff team midway through September 2007 with a shot at home field advantage. The Rockies were an also ran playing out the string... then suddenly a surge by Colorado and a pair of losses at the end of the year put San Diego and Colorado in a most unlikely playoff for the Wild Card (Arizona would finish a mere 1 game ahead of both teams.)Padres Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy would take the hill in Coors Field and fell behind early. But Adrian Gonzalez's grand slam gave the Padres the lead.
This is Coors Field, so no lead is safe. The Rockies took the lead back in the 6th and the Padres tied it with two outs in the 8th.
Then the scoring stopped and the tension built up. The Rockies couldn't bring home the playoff berth clinching run in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12. The Padres left runners in scoring position in the 10th, 11th and 12th.
Finally Scott Hairston homered in the 13th, giving San Diego the a 2 run lead. Trevor Hoffman now had to shut the door.
Remember this is Coors.
Kaz Matsui doubled to lead off the 13th and Troy Tulowitzki doubled him home. Then Matt Holliday crushed a game tying triple to right. Jamey Carrol came up with runners on the corners and flew out to right.
Holliday tagged and came home. Did he tag the plate? We'll never know but he was called safe and Colorado's improbable playoff run continued while the Padres franchise hasn't recovered.
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