28th September 2011, 10:41 PM
Yeah, it's the kind of thing where if it was in a movie, people would criticize it for how unbelievable it is, no question. I mean... I mean, BOTH leagues going down to the final day? BOTH wild card leaders losing despite being ahead entering the ninth inning of the final game, in games they needed to win? Three of the four deciding games going to multiple extra innings? Both teams trailing the wild card leaders making up 8 1/2 to 9 game Sept. 1 deficits to make the playoffs?
Yeah right...
Also, in both leagues, the second and third place postseason teams (that is, the two division winners who weren't their league's wins leader) went down to the final game in determining which of them had the better record, too, so no playoff matches were set yet until after the final day. Wow.
As for the game, the Sox really played atrocious baseball, particularly offensively. They blew chance after chance after chance to score more runs -- Aviles getting caught stealing while Jacoby Ellsbury was up (WHY WERE YOU RUNNING?), Ortiz getting thrown out at second on a single he had do business trying to turn into a double, Lavarnway going 0-5, that key play in the 8th where Pedroia got thrown out at the plate (that third base coach has got to go, he should NOT have been waving him around.)... the only reason the Sox weren't losing long before the 9th was because Baltimore is a pretty bad team, pretty much, I think. Oh, and because apart from Papelbon the Sox pitching was uncommonly good, for September. Well, he sure made up for that.
You know, the Red Sox didn't manage to win two games in a row through the entire month of September? The loss on the final day ensured that streak would conclude successfully, too...
In conclusion, I hope the Yankees get swept in the first round, and the Rays too. Failing that, maybe it'd be nice to see the Rays win the world series, to show up the Yankees for their obvious, blatant efforts to lose all three games of this final Yankees-Rays series in order to get the Rays as the wild card team instead of the Sox... oh, sure, they tried here and there, but overall it was clear the Yankees were not trying to win.
Yeah right...
Also, in both leagues, the second and third place postseason teams (that is, the two division winners who weren't their league's wins leader) went down to the final game in determining which of them had the better record, too, so no playoff matches were set yet until after the final day. Wow.
As for the game, the Sox really played atrocious baseball, particularly offensively. They blew chance after chance after chance to score more runs -- Aviles getting caught stealing while Jacoby Ellsbury was up (WHY WERE YOU RUNNING?), Ortiz getting thrown out at second on a single he had do business trying to turn into a double, Lavarnway going 0-5, that key play in the 8th where Pedroia got thrown out at the plate (that third base coach has got to go, he should NOT have been waving him around.)... the only reason the Sox weren't losing long before the 9th was because Baltimore is a pretty bad team, pretty much, I think. Oh, and because apart from Papelbon the Sox pitching was uncommonly good, for September. Well, he sure made up for that.
You know, the Red Sox didn't manage to win two games in a row through the entire month of September? The loss on the final day ensured that streak would conclude successfully, too...
In conclusion, I hope the Yankees get swept in the first round, and the Rays too. Failing that, maybe it'd be nice to see the Rays win the world series, to show up the Yankees for their obvious, blatant efforts to lose all three games of this final Yankees-Rays series in order to get the Rays as the wild card team instead of the Sox... oh, sure, they tried here and there, but overall it was clear the Yankees were not trying to win.