The 12-inning thriller that was the last regular season game ever played at the Metrodome was exactly what I wanted to see. When the Twins and Tigers played a four-game series in Detroit last week, I found myself rooting for the Twins to close the gap in order to create an exciting finish to the regular season – ideally a one-game playoff. When that happened, I decided it would be great for the city of Detroit to send their team to the playoffs, but what I wanted most was to see a great game. My wish came true when the two teams played a nail-biter that could have gone either way, but eventually sent Minnesota to the postseason. Props to both teams for giving the fans what they deserved.
How ‘bout that?
How about Jason Kubel? The Twins slugger hit a pair of three-run home runs in his team’s must-win game against Kansas City just to force Game 163, and added a solo shot in the game against the Tigers that decided the AL Central. For the season, Kubel hit .300 with 28 home runs, 103 RBI’s, and a .907 OPS – all career highs. Additionally, since taking over in right field when Justin Morneau went on the disabled list and Michael Cuddyer moved to first base, Kubel has not made a single error, giving Manager Ron Gardenhire confidence in his team despite the loss of one of his best players.
How about John Lackey? With history on their opponent’s side, the Angels were not expected to beat the Red Sox in their American League Division Series, but after Lackey’s performance last night the Halos have to be feeling good about their chances. In the series opener, Lackey threw 7.1 innings of scoreless baseball, giving up only four hits and walking just one, leading the team to a 5-0 victory over the Sox, who had beaten the Angels in their last three postseason series (2004, 2007, 2008) while losing a single game out of 10. If the Angels send the Sox packing early, it will be news to the remaining teams that there’s a new player on the block.
How about the Nationals? With seven wins in a row to close out the 2009 season, the Nats showed a lot of heart, as well as promise for 2010. My first-ever game at Nationals Park turned out to be the second win in their streak. The following day, Justin Maxwell hit a walk-off grand slam to sweep the Mets in the Nationals’ last home game of the year, and the Nats took that momentum to Atlanta, where they completed a four-game sweep of the Braves, including a 15-inning marathon in the season finale.
O’s Notes
The Orioles tried hard, but failed to lose 100 games for the first time in more than 20 years. With four games left to play, the Birds had 98 losses and needed to win three times to avoid the dubious feat. Somehow, they won all four. Their strong finish was particularly surprising considering the 13-game losing streak that immediately preceded the last four contests. In spite of the four wins in a row at season’s end, the O’s finished with the worst record in the American League and the third-worst record in the majors. 2009 was the team’s fourth year in a row with more than 90 losses and their second year in a row in last place in the A.L. East. They were 39 games back of first place – 11 more than the fourth-place Blue Jays, and five more than their N.L. East counterparts, the Nationals, finished back of the Phillies. The good news for next year: things can’t get much worse; the only direction to go is up.
Keywords: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Game 163, Jason Kubel, John Lackey, Justin Maxwell, Justin Morneau, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Metrodome, Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Ron Gardenhire, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
