October 12, 2021
1. The Red Sox beat the Rays to win the ALDS
It was the tightest, most intense series of the postseason so far, and it ended just barely in favor of the Red Sox, after back-to-back nail-biter walk-off wins.
And the team with the best record in the American League goes home feeling like a deep World Series run may have been left on the table — after a brilliant, down-to-the-wire rally in the eighth to tie the game, and then that throw from Kevin Kiermaier to keep hope alive.
Thank you for a wonderful season, Rays, the A.L. team I’ve followed and rooted for all year.
2. The defensive plays of the night: Hunter Renfroe and Kevin Kiermaier
A former Ray making a great catch to record the first out of the game, almost at the very spot of the controversial ground-rule double play in Game 3:
And then Kevin Kiermaier, the longest-tenured Rays player, carrying the team all night in the field and at the plate — here with a textbook Kiermaier catch:
And the worst play of the night? Ji-Man Choi bobbling a bounced throw from Yandy Diaz in the bottom of the ninth, to set up the winning sac fly.
3. The awful umpiring calls of the night: Wander Franco’s at-bat in the first inning
The Rays came out looking sharp, stoked to keep the season alive, to reverse the sour feeling of the most bizarre of endings on Monday night in Game 3, and then there was the umpire — with something different in mind.
First, this pitch:
And then a moment later, the strikeout pitch — one of the absolute worst you’ll see all year:
4. Here’s Jomboy’s breakdown of the infamous Kevin Kiermaier moment from Game 3
The minute it happened, it was going down as an all-time infamous moment in baseball history. With nothing intentional from the Red Sox, no foul play, but a result that just felt wrong.
There should, in cases like this, be a new designation for the batter and runners on base — a premise called a “Ground-rule triple”.
5. Joc Pederson hit a huge HR in the NLDS using Anthony Rizzo’s bat, and wearing a pearl necklace
A three-run home run, and the Braves win it 3–0 (to take the series lead). With a special piece of lumber, doing the trick.
Extra style points for the pearls:
6. The Giants beat the Dodgers 1–0 last night, now on the brink of a series clinch
A rare, nearly scoreless game, and the Giants hold on with the only run coming from a solo HR off the bat of Evan Longoria:
It was a strange, very windy night in Los Angeles, with jerseys rippling and fly balls staying in the yard, but for the one — just look at this:
In the end, the wind won. As Gavin Lux lined a sure thing home run to left field, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, only for it to die and fall short in the air.
And so, it’ll be Game 4 tonight. 9:07 ET.
Walker Buehler vs. Anthony Desclafani.
7. The quote of the day, Joc Pederson: “I’m a pretty good player”
Dodger fans wistfully look on as their guys Joc, Kiké and Alex Verdugo are winning playoff series for other teams, with swagger:
8. The White Sox unofficial mascot is “Cane Guy”
A wizened sorcerer appeared in the crowd at Sox Park on Sunday night, twisting a cane as a wand, as the White Sox came back to win Game 3:
And today before the game, he was brought on the field for a declaration: “Play Ball!”
9. If the White Sox lose, seeing the Astros vs. Red Sox in the ALCS would feel deeply wrong
The cheat-without-remorse Astros may just meet their old friend Alex Cora, with one of them getting rewarded with a pennant—and karma, as it turns out, doesn’t exist in baseball.
Unless, unless. If these White Sox have another rally in them (down 5–1 in the middle innings right now), can force a Game 5, then win that too, we might just have an ounce of hope . And apologies, any Red Sox fan readers — you’ve done no wrong — but you can likely see where every other baseball fan might be coming from!
10. And lastly, some baseball news and miscellany
Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long is heading across the N.L. East to join the Phillies, announced yesterday:
Here’s the fight he and Joe Girardi almost got into, earlier this year:
Charlie Morton will start Game 4 for the Braves tonight on three days’ rest, at 37 years old, the Braves announced this afternoon:
And finally, the absolute stat of the night, on Buster Posey and catching postseason shutouts:
