Tigers 7, Rangers 5: Baseball Is The Weirdest

Home Run King Delmon Young

If Adrian Beltre had gotten around on Justin Verlander's 102 MPH fastball the merest fraction of a second earlier with two on and two out in the fifth inning, and curled it just inside the foul pole down the right field line rather than just outside it, the Tigers are probably finished for the season. If, in the bottom of the sixth, Miguel Cabrera's tailor-made (like, we are talking bespoke) double play grounder hadn't bounced off of third base itself and hopped over the head of the sure-handed Beltre, the Tigers would not have hit for the first natural cycle in postseason history, capped by Delmon Young (of all people)'s second home run of the day. But all of these things happened, because baseball is the weirdest. And also the best! 

Jim Leyland came into the game saying there would be no Benoit and no Valverde, so it was going to be almost entirely up to Justin Verlander, who had not yet been sharp in this postseason. But Verlander lasted a borderline heroic 133 pitches, packing it in midway through the eighth inning, after Nelson Cruz hit a two-run shot, his record fifth home run of the ALCS. Phil Coke made things somewhat ticklish in relief, but nevertheless sealed the deal, which is all that can be asked of Phil Coke in my view.

And so now it's back to Texas, and while I've kind of got a bad feeling about this, I also kind of can't wait.

KS 

Rangers 4, Rays 3: Nice Ups, Adrian Beltre

Touch 'em all

Jeremy Hellickson is a philosophical problem: if you are a pitcher who throws pretty much nothing but changeups, do you actually throw a changeup at all? This is not strictly speaking true, this thing I have just said about Jeremy Hellickson, but dang does that guy throw a lot of changeups! Ian Kinsler hit the second pitch of the game (a changeup) out of the park, and Adrian Beltre hit three solo home runs as the Rangers edged the Rays to make their second ALCS appearance in a row, which is pretty rad of and for them. Good series, guys! I would like to note in closing that this deciding game was played before a truly lousy crowd of 28,299, making it the worst-attended MLB playoff game in thirty years. Good job, Tampa! 

Huzzah!

Nolan Ryan and Ron Washington and also some other guy (far left)

KS