MLB Greatest Games #16: 2009 AL Central Tie-Breaker

well Thomas the countdown moves to numbers 16 we find a regular-season game at least technically a regular-season game and a very recent one this is from 2009 but Bob with all the twists and turns in this game I guarantee you still don't remember all of them and it sure feels like a postseason game sure feels like a playoff game here we go with number 16 [Music] they messed everything up we're gonna come back here on Tuesday and drink some more weird and having fun and watching the magic of this place continue although something tells me that Kent Hrbek needed little of any excuse to have a few more beers what he is referring to as Tom Verducci and I are joined by michael cuddyer is that kadai ER and the twins were playing their final season in the Metrodome in 2009 and that day was game 162 scheduled to be the last regular season game there might have been the end of the season but for the fact that the Tigers and twins finished in a dead heat after 162 necessitating a one-game playoff to see who would play the Yankees in the division series and that game was going to be two days later at the Metrodome yeah and what a last month it was and and what a celebration that was and that was it was a great weekend we had all the the players that ever played in the Metrodome they came in and was able to enjoy the excitement of that pennant race and that chase that we had with the Tigers and you know a lot of them ended up staying for for this game 163 and you know like kent said they had a few beers along the way well there's a backstory to this race first of all the Tigers had coughed up the division title in 2006 but they had the wild card as a cushion and from there they got to the World Series which they eventually lost the Cardinals but in this case the team that finished second couldn't be the wildcard record wasn't good enough yet to win the division or you were going to go home and the Tigers led by seven in early September and they led by three Tom with only four games to play and couldn't hold the lead they've been hanging by fingernails onto the edge of the cliff for that last week and really Bob all season long Michael your club was playing uphill go back to May the Tigers took over first place in May we're in first place where a share of it every day of the season so this is a long road back not just one week but especially down the stretch the last two months of the season you're right we scratched and clawed this the whole way and never really got close we never did we never really close until the last week or so of the season and even then with being three back with four games of play still never was really all that close but to be able to do that is what makes this game that much better I mean the game itself can stand on its own as being one of the greater games ever but then with the backstory and everything leading up to this game is what truly makes this a remarkable game and you talk about a team in crisis for Detroit their cleanup hitter their best player Miguel Cabrera goes out drinking on the last Friday night of the season that weekend actually winds up in a drunk tank in a jail and has to be bailed out by his GM at four o'clock in the morning so this is all in to play as we get to Tuesday afternoon and the Tigers and Cabrera issued the following statement prior to the game it goes like this there was an incident that took place on Friday night into Saturday morning it's a personal matter said Cabrera I'm sorry this has become a distraction I apologized to the Tigers my teammates and all the fans and actually he did address his teammates before this game this game 163 - personally apologize to them here is the lineup with Cabrera in the cleanup spot Curtis Granderson had 30 home runs that year Magglio ordóñez was very hot down the stretch and there you see the rest of the lineup that Jim Leyland sent out there and here is Ron Gardenhire 'he's lineup for the twins Joe Mauer had won his third batting title hitting 364 you're at first base Michael because Justin Morneau is hurt right Justin got got hurt with three weeks ago in the season we're already six seven games out Justin goes down you know we had an owner's party and owners threw us a party and the owners giving us a speech this is three weeks left in the season well the season didn't go as planned but we appreciate the effort that you guys put forward and you know we're kind of looking at each other like we've still got a little ways to go and I'll be it up up hill and lo and behold we go out and put ourselves in a position to get into the playoffs let's take a look at the starting pitchers for this game it'll be Rick Porcello who has plenty of rest coming into the game 14 and 9 it'll be Scott Baker for the twin he won 15 games during the season but here's a little bit of a twist and the subplots just keep on coming the season ends as it usually does on Sunday but this playoff game instead of taking place as it usually what on Monday is played Tuesday because the Vikings are playing a Monday night game against the Packers at the Metrodome it's Brett Favre's first game as a Viking against his old team the Vikes win the game Favre throws for three TDs this matters to Scott Baker who otherwise if he started would have been on three days rest now he gets the regular four gives our ace full strength and now that was big for us although you know you wanted to carry that momentum from the weekend into the very next day and and if you did get to the playoffs you now had a day off but it did it allowed Baker to have one more extra day of rest Porcello was was having his rest no matter what he was he was fully rested ready to go but it did it gave us back it didn't give them that huge advantage as if it would if Baker didn't have now you have something to do on a Monday night don't tell me you went to I think about I think pretty much everybody from both teams is that that football game by the way Rick Porcello here's another little backstory Rick Porcello connected to Tom Verducci yes absolutely Rick Porcello went to Seton Hall Prep in new jersey pitched and played his baseball on Verducci field that's Seton Hall Prep the name field isn't it well no not quite but it is named for my dad oh there you go hey Rick Porcello was pitching on Verducci field not too long ago Bob he's only 20 years old in this game the youngest pitcher ever to start a one game tiebreaker and Verducci field is a great place but I don't think it's quite as loud as the Metrodome in game 163 few places and all the sports are let's get right to it now scoreless first top of the second Miguel Cabrera at the plate Scott Baker on the mound put up good numbers against the twins this year's 15 RBIs one two swinging a fly ball deep left center field this one is going to split the outfielders gonna one hop the wall off the top of the wall in deep left-center chased down by young brownie first and cruising into second with this is another look at the Cabrera double barrel and right there baby and after Carlos Guillen flies out Cabrera is still at second one out Ryan Rayburn will be at the plate and Rayburn was a guy you know he killed us as well he didn't play very much he came in sparingly and just absolutely every time he played against us you know most the time it was against a lefty obviously today is against the righty but just got big hits when when the Tigers needed him to get the big hits they really Jim Leyland went to Rayburn because he liked his defense he chose him over Marcus Thames and that certainly will come into play later Brandon Inge singes one but Cabrera makes the gravid shortstop so still runners at the corners but now with two out and what what a big player Orlando Cabrera is especially in the playoffs Amir he got out of Mountain Montreal and I think he's been in the playoffs every year since with different team different teams every year in July by the twins along with Carl Pavano who was - great great acquisitions that we made along with Rodney hey and John rouse - - all helped us win in September Gerald Laird would have a lot of key at-bats in this game he pops out to Cabrera and Baker is out of the jam first and third one out but Baker got out of it now to the bottom of the second and fourth although he went out there and he dominated blew through the first inning quick and in this second and as you see he's gonna he's got good stuff he starts out the game was really good stuff I thought he correct me if I'm wrong it was a different Rick Porcello in this game throwing a ball much harder much like out pitcher in this game he led the league in ground ball percentage but looked like a power pitcher in this game and his sinker normally is down and he did right right there to me it was a little bit up and a little more up in the zone which is I think why he got more strikeouts he was throwing 93 94 as you mentioned and was elevating it and guys couldn't catch up as I think Doman chases a high fastball right here there you go and and that that was a different Rick Porcello than he was throughout the course of the season prior he would wind striking out eight during his time in the game and he is not really that kind of pitcher ordinarily not that overpowering right no typically during the season he was 90 to 92 today after this game he was 92 to 94 with a good slider which typically that in the beginning of the year relied on a big overhand curveball and in this game he was throwing a slider and had great control to start the game so Jose Morales the d.h fans a 1-2-3 2nd inning for Porcello and still a scoreless game after - I thought Baker had a tough assignment because as you mentioned with the unbalanced schedule he faces the Tigers a lot in fact it's a third time he's seeing them in about 1516 days fifth time over the course of the season so no secrets at this point right and then that's you know three years into his career that he studies facing that many times as well and you know these guys you know and you get these reports and poor so although we had faced him two or three times throughout the course of the season we didn't have much of a track record against him like the Tigers did against Baker okay so we've got a scoreless game after 2 when we come back the Tigers will take an early lead the title in the American League Central is at stake you're watching MLB's 20 greatest games this is number 16 welcome back to number 16 in MLB network's countdown of the 20 greatest games of the last 50 baseball seasons with Tom Verducci and Michael Cuddyer we continue now picking up the action in the top of the 3rd two men are out Curtis Granderson is at first base Magglio ordóñez is the hitter Jon Gordon and Dan gladden were calling the game on KSTP that's twins radio and Dan Nickerson and Jim price had the call in Detroit on WXYZ here they are Mardonius out on a fly ball down the right-field line that has first at-bat right on target here with just 43 pitches in the third now Maggie Lincoln lines it in the right center a base hit Granderson around third and he will score Magglio ordóñez delivers the first run of the day with a sharp line single to right-center Magglio Magglio has come alive folks that was a fast ball but it was down in the zone down in the zone e stayed on it Mauer set up outside the ball was inside and is able to drive it to right-center that is beat the hitting boys become alive one nothing Tigers in the third Baker put the glove on the left side ball behind the back as he gets the sign from our two outs of the running Tigers lead one-nothing in the third the O 2 pitch swinging a flyball centerfield this one is deep man is going back at the fence looking up a monster shot that deep right-center for Miguel Cabrera a few runs shot and the Tigers take a three nothing lead here in the third so Cabrera has preceded this game by apologizing for the distraction no distraction as far as Detroit is concerned a double and a homer and I'll be honest he at this point his third in and we were we were riding such a high coming into the game on a personal level I thought this was the beginning of the end for us I thought we'd run out of gas we were struggling a little bit we weren't scoring any runs we weren't doing anything against pourcel even though it was 3 3 innings they just were hitting the ball everything they hit even when they were outs they were they're right on the ball and I thought we were gonna be in for a long one Baker gets the strikeout to end the inning but he leaves the mound trailing three nothing now it's the bottom of the third Matt Tolbert leads it off look at this play by Brandon in she beats it out but inch had that kind his very good defensive third baseman anyway but he had that kind of game great play I'm sure Michael you didn't want to hear this at the time but no team had ever come back from three runs down to win a tiebreaker game which i think is why i probably thought whos the beginning of the end for us but you know Tolbert was huge for us in this game yet he had to get out there and make the start Nick Punto struck out but then span with a single and here's Mauer and I throw the fire away [Applause] tobert breaks and snores why would you even throw the first base like that John that's a situation where you got a first baseman he has trouble of catching a just a routine throw to him and really you're not gonna try to steal in this situation you want your MVP Eddie well spam can run but in that situation with Mauer at the plate why should Porcello as the announcer said why should Porcello have been so concerned with him right and that's a great question and we were glad that he did and you know that was the break we needed that was the one that to get us back and get our mentality back to Blake all right we can come back and we can do this again and I think if he hadn't thrown that ball away and we don't score that run I don't know if we can if we do come back I don't know if that mentality if we get that mentality back but that got us within two and it gave us that that little bit of a hope I opened that open the door up just a little bit more for us well you weren't able to score anymore in that inning but as you say you're on the board you're trailing 3-1 and when we come back Cabrera becomes a hero but which Cabrera you're watching MLB's 20 greatest games this is number 16 on MLB Network [Music] we're watching number 16 in MLB network's countdown of the 20 greatest games of the past half century Tom Verducci and Michael Cuddyer are here the game in question the playing game to decide the champion of the AL central in October of 2009 let's reset bottom of the 6th the Tigers lead 3 to 1 Rick Porcello seems to be cruising after an Orlando Cabrera flyout and a Joe Mauer strikeout Jason Kubel is up no one on two-out and once again Dan Nickerson and Jim price from WX whitey Detroit with the call two outs bases empty Kubel Batson takes a changeup that floats high ball one eight strikeouts of all on swinging third strikes for Rick Porcello he has masked his career best in the biggest game of his life [Applause] casings Google with numbers three two game here's ago down about that one fastball outer half of the plate and you got a feeling that's the pitch he struck out on the last time though he didn't miss it this time he carried it into the front row the upper deck in the deepest part of right-center all right there's Zach miner up in the bullpen and he's warming up in a hurry and Jim Leyland is telling him let's get going he had him up even before Jason crossed home plate and even before Porcello threw his next pitch Leyland was looking down to the bullpen and cranking his arms saying let's go let's go and Michael the Tigers bullpen had been leaking oil down the stretch you probably like to get into their bullpen at this point most definitely I see it as a 3-2 count on me right there I wish I had gotten out of there with like two pitches so wouldn't a given minor enough to to get warmed up but he doesn't ends up walking me and yeah Leland was quick quick out of the dugout quick making the change and that was where we were able to thrive against the Tigers throughout the course of the season was getting into that bullpen and beating those middle relievers two pitches ago on the 3-1 you had I was definitely trying to tie it tied a game I felt good over the weekend I hit two home runs on Saturday and Sunday and yeah there's no lie about it I was trying to tie the game well you worked the walk instead and there you go he's running out there and probably saying a few explicity was on his way but here's Delmon Young first guy that minor faces look how deep Granderson is playing and the bloops gonna fall in yeah and right there I'm thinking I'm around a second I know how deep Granderson is playing I'm thinking maybe I can score obviously I'm not Denard Span and I didn't get around third and we we stopped it right there sometimes in the Metrodome that ball could take a very high hop and exactly you never know you never know what's gonna happen that's why you always got a run especially in the Metrodome Brendan Harris the pinch hitter and he gets hit mm-hmm gets it and we're thinking you know we're in a pretty good situation right here obviously and you know as you mentioned they're in disarray everything's going wrong for them right now and we feel like we're sharks in the water smelling the blood right now and Matt Tolbert comes up and as you can see unfortunately the Riley got killed Granderson will make the catch you're gonna leave him loaded and settle for the one on the Kubel homer but now you got the Tigers on the ropes a little bit one scoop will hit that homerun I mean he was so huge for us in September big home runs just like that and every time he hit that home run we started feeling like we've got this game and once he hit that home run it was no different we felt like with that momentum finally shifted in the into our our dugout and we were able to run with it and the crowd obviously is full throat back into this game yeah what is it like field level with that noise coming down on you well that's just fun about being able to replay this and watch it because when you're playing and you're in the heat of the moment you know your head is so loud because you're cheering and you're you're going through that you really don't notice the fans you really don't hear the fans so to be able to go back and watch these and watch watch the excitement and the dugouts and and watch the the dugout the Tigers dugout and see how distraught and then they were and that's what's fun about being a player being able to relive relive these these images at its loudest in the Metrodome could you hear I got it I got it no you couldn't even hear if you and I were having a conversation right now we wouldn't be able to hear each other and that's in the dugout on the middle of the field you can barely even hear yourself think I mean it's a piercing piercing sound and obviously when it is that loud they're cheering for it so it's a great sound so now with Leland yanking Porcello the book is closed on both starters let's take a look at their respective lines five and two thirds for Porcello four hits two runs struck out eight while he was in there Baker worked six gave up six hits three runs for the moment he stands to be the loser but what was a 3 nothing deficit is now 3 2 and as you can see neither pitcher pitched bad but when you when you're getting out of that situation the minute that momentum starts to turn on that pitcher is when you get that guy out of the game and as you saw the minute it started turning on Porcello Leland got him out quick and it's a bullpen game now the rosters are expanded so the managers have multiple decisions to make in terms of where they can go I actually think that makes this game more difficult to manage when to pull someone who to get in there let's get back to the game right now the seventh Zach miner on the mound he's facing Nick Punto amazing it bat right here I think it was a 10 9 10 pitch at-bat Punto was just fighting them off continuing to fight him off and wear him down so to speak and was able to actually get on base after Denard Span fails to advance the runner Orlando Cabrera comes up and will go to the local announcers for both the twins and the Tigers let's see if Cabrera can't get out he's over 3 is the set by minor and a pitch to Cabrera and he swings into deep [Applause] dagger to the heart of the tiger big day and early evening if your name is Cabrera be at Miguel or Orlando that's the truth and what's funny about this is Denard Span missed the bunt sign twice Gardenhire likes what seemed an obvious bunt situation span had a bunch of bunts during the season to move guys up I was saying why is he not bunting here I think everybody in the stands and everybody in TV was saying the same thing and in a dugout we were like what is going on right now we got to be bunting and you know Guardi was a little upset obviously he didn't show it too much on on on the TV but yeah Denard missed the bunt sign a couple times and fortunately it worked out for us okay so back from seven games down to tie the race after 162 back from down three nothing to take a 4-3 lead in the seventh in the playing game coming up next a defensive gem from our man kadai you're watching MLB's 20 greatest games this is number 16 the 8th mad career is on the mound Magglio ordóñez is at the plate run home run lifetime for Magglio off this right-hander for three twins in the top of the eighth magneto swings and drives into left-field this one Magglio Ordonez has tied the game at 4:00 here in the 8th at this point if it hasn't happened already are you saying to yourself look this isn't just an important game for us this is kind of an historic game this again people gonna be talking about when Cabrera hit that home run Orlando Cabrera hit that home run to put us up 4 to 3 I thought this is gonna be one of the greater games of all time and lo and behold when Magglio hit it it just felt like somebody punched us in the gut again and you know and then here you go that's a good one fielded by Cuddyer he died for fun and with me not being able to feel that I know that it's gonna come back to haunt me I know it is I'm telling myself I'm getting on first base and I'd tell Ramon I was like right you got to do that to me in this type of game and you know and then once this little bloop happens with Granderson right here again it's it's going and it's going in the opposite direction it's it's not going my way runners at the corners nobody out Joe Nathan is in in a tie game you can't wait for the lead now you gotta use your closer right and at this point I'm telling Curtis Granderson I'm like I just lost us this game that's what I'm telling him at first base and he's like I don't know let's let's wait and see and then the big strikeout right here happens a huge punch are you talking about a guy who's tough to strike out in fact only Pedroia Dustin Pedroia it was harder to strike out and Nathan got exactly what he needed next batter Magglio ordóñez this was definitely to play a game and I wanted to say to Granderson you're right maybe I should have just hold it up and shouldn't have said anything to him maybe I distracted him I don't know but then you can see the emotion that Joe Nathan I mean is is awesome so Nathan had runners at the corners nobody out he strikes out Polanco and he gets the line drive DP and he's out of it and he's in from Aglio who's now had two RBIs I believe in this game with the single earlier and then the big home run off career and you know he comes up to the plate and you're just um no especially man on third one out he's at least gonna hit a sac fly at the least is gonna hit a sac and just absolutely crushed that ball right at Orlando and you know fortunately for us Granderson was a little too aggressive well that fist pump by Joe Nathan it took me back to 1991 a Jack Morris gave almost the same wind new fist pumped out after getting a double play to get out of a jam against the Braves in 91 mm-hmm Granderson obviously you cannot get doubled up there you must have felt like you dodged a huge bullet Oh enormous bullet like I said I mean at the worst case scenario I was expecting us to go in there at least down by one because I thought he was gonna get a sack fire song this is guy who killed us the last two weeks of the season and for him to hit it right at Orlando and then Orlando to be aware enough just to come up and fire at first cuz he didn't have time to look and see if Granderson was off the base he just caught it and fired it and meet him by hey hang now okay bottom of the ninth now after a Nick Punto walk and a Denard Span sacrifice Fernando Rodney comes in for the Tigers he replaces Brandon lion and his first batter is Orlando Cabrera another huge play by Inge that's how he did that to us the whole season his whole career when he's played third base he's done that to us and he doesn't get fazed by the magnitude of games that's for sure so we're gonna walk Mauer intentionally here no surprise Gomes is at the play then because we had the cool came out of the game put Denard over and right and Carlos came in and play center and now Carlos had a little bit of a frustrating year but as we could see the game goes on he makes up for a lot of it so he could have ended the game there he doesn't Jesse Crain comes on Cabrera grounds out to Cabrera did you get him Michael we got him right on the front right on the number in the front Cabrera is out Cabrera Tuukka Dyer that's right here's ivory up here's the pitch inside Puffs gonna say it hit him and now they're gonna it did hit an O to pitch and it hits him and that was a good call by Randy Marsh the replay showed it Gardens gonna come out here but the replay show it did clip his pant leg got him right on the pants Don Kelly comes in as a pinch runner and Brandon Inge will be the next hitter 1 1 pitch swinging a line drive down the left-field line they'll take it down the corner fair ball County with great speed around second headed to third and the Tigers take a 5-4 lead in the 10 ok so now what so now we just got punched and they got one more time but yeah right then they score that run they've got Fernando Rodney still on the mound who I don't even know if he'd blown to say maybe one save the whole season and obviously it's not a safe situation but it doesn't give up the lead when he has it so we're thinking what's going to happen and I'm leading off the next inning and you know it's a tough tough situation but again the resiliency of this team is is what plays out well the Metrodome is gonna help you a little bit we'll take a break before we get back this is game number 16 on MLB network's countdown of the 20 greatest games of the last 50 seasons okay Michael extra innings in game 163 the Tigers now have the lead 5 to 4 you come up on the bottom of the 10th you're the leadoff man oh for 3 with a walk to this point in the game right face and rot Rodney and in recent history I'd had some success off um I think we faced him a month before and I homered off of a changeup and we faced him 2 weeks or a week prior got a couple big hits off of them off changeup so I knew going into this at-bat I wasn't seeing to change it but I knew he was just gonna come with me with with fast balls after fastball after fastball and I'm telling myself I just want to get on base because you know we're down by 1 I just want to get on base try and start something but back on mind I'm trying to go deep and tie this thing up and but when you got a guy it's got a power sinker like Fernando Rodney chances are you're not going to go you know home run off that uh off the heater you're good obviously a major league hitter and the Metrodome correct me if I'm wrong you'd liked hitting in there 92 career hitter in the Metrodome but in this situation how do you bring yourself into that moment of focusing on this at-bat and taking away what's on the line it's tough and you know you just got to go in there and try and concentrate on putting together as good of an at-bat as you can yeah like I said before you don't really hear the crowd that just kind of tones itself out but the moment is is big that the magnitude of the moment you're amped up you're excited but at the same time you have to try and control yourself and you know fortunately for me I was able to to do that sort of and get a little help along the way alright we'll see here we go bottom of the 10th the twins are down by a run Michaels at the plate facing Fernando Rodney and here I've already seen four fastball so I know another one's coming I see it's gonna be a little bit of a flare I know he's playing back and no doubles so right then I'm taking off I see it get by him and right here I kind of slide a little awkward but there was a reason for that Brandon was in my way and I wanted to try and block the ball in case it was going to come in and maybe it'll deflect off of me so I'm sliding way to the right of the bag really really late to try and get in the way of Brandon in so he maybe misses the ball and I get to score Delmon Young then grounds out doesn't plate the run Brandon Harris walks next man Matt Tolbert here's where inexperience is going to hurt the Minnesota Twins you've got Tolbert there's never been in a game Tolbert's had quite a few at-bats here now in the game where he's been up in big situations and unfortunately hadn't gotten it done watch this swing he makes sure he puts this play exactly and fortunately they were kind of playing in no-man's land where you know they couldn't get there to turn that DoublePlay and we were able to score the run and right now I'm thinking we got this game Alexie's at third are one of our faster baserunners less than two outs all word think is a sac fly and Nick Punto is up the plate I'm thinking we got this game maybe it's a squeeze maybe it's a infield single or a sac fly and or maybe it's none of the maybe Ryan [Music] [Applause] Michael I mean you know the twins pride themselves on fundamental baseball especially the way you run the bases and we saw with cassia yeah obviously didn't get back to the base as soon as the ball went in the air terrible mistake he gets thrown out by that much obviously he would have been safe sure take us into the dugout at that point people were not happy no we were livid we were all of us were going crazy and we were jumping we were yelling as you could see him about two feet off the base we're like get back in tag obviously he can't hear is over 60,000 other people saying the same thing and yeah when he got thrown out it was like I said I mean we've got punched and they got so many times and this was like the dagger and maybe our only opportunity all right so we'll go to the top of the 12th after a cleat Thomas line out Miguel Cabrera at the plate full count Capel sax bobby Keplinger pitcher here and a walk he was huge in this game I mean obviously got himself into some trouble but you know he'd never pitched in in a game with this magnitude before in his career Don Kelly with a base hit Cabrera is gonna make third Young's gonna mistakenly throw to third and Kelly's gonna take second which was gonna we wanted to keep the double play in order we wanted to be able to kiss couples a ground ball thrower he throws ground ball off the ground ball at the ground ball so for Delma to throw it to second or to throw it to third guard he's upset because we go over that every single day too and you know and obviously we had now we have to walk Ryan Raburn and we're in a heap of trouble so the bases are gonna be loaded after the intentional walk you got to think about how you're gonna play this obviously the balls hit sharply you might be able to get the DoublePlay but a tweener you got to come home kind of like the inning before when when Matt Tolbert was able to roll the ball through the infield it was kind of the same type of situation where we had to play that we had to play and a double play modified DoublePlay depth where you're not totally in but you're not all the way back and lo and behold a little tweener gets hit and you know we'll see what happens after that well it's Brandon Inge at the plate bases loaded top of the 12th one now he thinks he thinks he's been hit and that's it for Center on Leyland think so too I think he's got a great arm much like Aubrey Huff it hit his shirt as well and you know was one of the breaks that we were able to get in this game and I felt bad for Leyland because he goes out there and says can you ask anybody else and Randy Marsh's telling him no I've got I've got it it didn't hit him and as you can see here that great big blousey Jersey for Brandon Inge comes into play there it did hit him cost the Tigers a huge run huge run but you're still in a heap of trouble here and here's the big chopper and look at Punto he comes to the plate for the force always does the right thing obviously knew he couldn't get a double play in that situation always does right he made a play in Texas a few months before with a man on second just hip just like it instead of just going to first get me out throws it a third gets the guy he does the right thing every single time in the field and this was this was the play of the game this one in the Orlando Cabrera double play for me were the plays of the game but Gerald Laird has a chance to win it he does he's got a chance and runs runs couple pretty good right here it has a great at-bat against some bobbies up there just battling throwing sinker after sinker after sinker gets the 3-1 right here and now Gerald is probably mind frame is I'm gonna win this game with a hit even though all you had to do is take this next pitch or the pitch before and he walks and here you're Bobby Keppel who by the way does not own a major-league victory as he's standing on the mound here Laird fouls it back and which was big for big Bobby to be able to keep his emotions to throw strikes especially three one with a sinker ball pitcher it's tough to just tell yourself I got a throw strike right here to do it Michael it's one thing to have Joe Nathan on the mound you're used to Joe having the ball in these kind of spots what do you think at first base no offense to Bobby Keppel sure he just hasn't pitched in these kind of spots no you're right and at this point you know you're just like let's play let's just play yeah you don't worry about the matchups let's play on the 3-2 pitch that would have been ball four which was just as big of a fist pump moment as it was when Joe Nathan got that DoublePlay and this is the when I when I'm when I say it's fun to watch back and you see Gerald Laird throw the bat into the batter's batting rack and that's what you don't get to see as a player when you're going through the moment and to see the home run hankies and you know the excitement on Kapil's face and the segment on everybody you living in this this moment you don't get to see that so it's fun to be able to relive well we continue now bottom of the 12 Rodney by the way is in his fourth inning of work Carlos Gomez leads it off for the twins like I said Carlos had struggled pretty much the whole season and to be able to put together this at-bat one one count right here and drive a ball to left what's huge and now we have our fastest base runner on base arguably the fastest base runner in Major League Baseball he's on first base I'm up to bat mm-hmm and it's a situation where I didn't want to be like Denard I looked down at that third-base coach to see if he wants me to bunt he didn't want me to bunt so now I'm just trying to trying to get that guy over again I knew he's gonna throw me fast balls threw me one up and in and fortunately I hit a little dribbler to enjoy he couldn't turn the DoublePlay well it's been five years actually put a bunt down you probably don't even remember it so that was the right play there and I got lucky right there that was horrible execution on my part so it works like a sacrifice short as you see now they're going to intentionally walk Delmon Young back to John Gordon and Dan gladden [Applause] [Applause] to see it be involved in second base I tell you Danny this one is going to be remembered for a long long time what again no disputing any of that what a game that will be remembered even though it's been less than two years it will be remembered for a long long time and you were talking with all the twists and turns here's Casilla who doesn't tag up quickly enough he gets the game-winning hit such irony what from Matt Tolbert coming up in situations and scoring knocking in the tying run so Alexi Casilla you know being able to make up for the for the base running blunder and that's what's so great about this game I mean any other sport you would call timeout and put up your best hitter you know Joe Mauer go get him sure Alexi Casilla no home runs during the season didn't need one there no and he's the hero and he was and and it was such a great feeling for us to be able to come back from beginning at September being seven games out to coming into that game 163 being down three nothing out the get-go and still being able to scratch and claw and fight for like you mentioned like we mentioned in the beginning 40-man roster all 40 of those guys playing that game and for for us to end in a victory especially with the the heartbreak that we had in 2008 losing that game it was such an amazing feeling as loud as it was throughout the game when Casilla got the hit and gomes scored what did it sound like what did it feel like at that point just relief I felt the weight of the world was off of our shoulders we could take a breath and for two three three and a half weeks we didn't feel like we could take a breath and if we felt like if we took a breath we were gonna lose and we had to win every game from from there on out so finally when we scored that one and run it felt like we could breathe again and what a great feeling it was Michael as Casilla is batting are you at a lucky spot in the dugout are you on the top step what are you thinking and do you even remember what your reaction was as Gomez comes across no I remember I was close to guarding it was closer to the front and the front front of the bench and I just I thought he was gonna get this done because of everything that happened in the game with with missing with the tag up and just Alexi struggling that year went into that season as our starting second baseman and ended up losing that job I knew it was the baseball gods coming back and going to reward Alexi Casilla and yeah I remember my reaction I jumped about 30 feet in the air we actually have a picture from the first base dugout of us running out onto the field and I'm I promise you I couldn't dunk in high school but I could adopt that now you guys proceed from there to take on the Yankees and that's just an afterthought yeah we keep talking about this game three games in New York but now like I mentioned we were able to take a breath and that breath hurt us when we went into the postseason you know the the culmination of the the last six months the hundred sixty three games being able to finally breathe well we still had work that we had to get done and you know now I don't want to say we forgot about that but it was tough it's tough to regroup it's tough to rebound we had a little bit of a celebration in the clubhouse we had to shut it down earlier than we wanted to because we had to board a flight and as you mentioned the game was at four o'clock but it didn't get over with until 9:00 9:30 so we're with by the time the celebration is over it's 11:30 give up on the flight to New York you get into New York at 3:00 3:30 in the morning and because of Brett Favre and and the Monday Night Football we didn't have a day off we had to go right into the series and yeah I just caught up it caught up to us do you remember Michael when you got to New York whenever it was 2 o'clock 3 o'clock in the morning that you had time to frame how historic that game was or were you just so physically and mentally drained at that point it was I need to get some sleep it was it was mentally draining it was one of the quietest flights that I've ever been on and you know you would think we were still partying and living it up but we were so tired and then knowing that we had to play but you know being able to reflect we weren't able to really reflect on it but I remember playing first base and you know Derek Jeter would get on first base and be like I was an unbelievable game and Alex Rodriguez same thing and you know I felt like saying yeah it was nice that you guys got to watch it from your couch get little bit of a rest when we were actually in it but it just goes to show that how much how big that game was and how fun and exciting the game was you also have to think about Detroit as well as much happiness in your Clubhouse so much pain on the other side for the lead having been lost I can tell you I was in st. Louis I was watching this game with Tony LaRussa who's good friends with Jimmy Leyland and he knew already they had that three-game lead with four to play and what he told me during this game was no manager should have to live with this because this is the kind of blown lead that sticks to a team and a lot of cases sticks to a manager and that is now part of the Tigers legacy and it happened twice as we mentioned in 2006 where it wasn't this magnitude and they still got to the playoffs but still we were able to catch them and when the win the division on the last day of the season actually after our game was over so it happened twice and we know what that feeling feels like from the year before when the White Sox beat us in 163 as well let's take a look at some of the numbers from this very memorable game let's start with the Tigers a few things jump out at you Magglio ordóñez had a big game so too did Miguel Cabrera Orlando Cabrera for you guys terrific game with the glove and the big home run that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead in the seventh well as you look at it again I imagine you've seen a replay at least once or twice since then but as you relived it today that was a field whether you were a fan in the stands at that night a player and umpire or a fan watching a TV just to be a part of that game it was something that is very very special and something I like I said I'm always gonna remember it I think everybody that watched that game will always remember it and I'm glad it was it was chosen and he's one of these 20 greatest games because it really deserves it thanks for being with us Michael thanks for having me as an honor and a pleasure for Michael Cuddyer and Tom Verducci will say so long and as we leave I'm sure that all of us on all of you wouldn't mind seeing it one more time here's Alexei Casillas game-winning hit thanks for watching MLB's 20 greatest games of the last 50 seasons this was number 16 see you next time foul ball right side gonna sneak [Applause] [Applause]

Channel: cacable7

Views: 5,945

Rating: 4.9230771 out of 5

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Id: jxKPrglx4As

Length: 44min 47sec (2687 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 25 2020