Baseball

With the playoffs finally being set as of 9:46 p.m. Eastern time, the American League playoff picture has finally been painted. 

Beginning Oct. 7, four A.L. teams will begin a post-season that is sure to leave many fans holding their collective breaths. 

Not only does every team have a loaded lineup full of players with high on-base percentages, but each has a pitching staff of uncertainties that they will be reliant upon to help them capture the American League pennant. 

After 162 games, it was only fitting that the 163rd needed extra innings to decide the AL Central champion. 

In a game full of bloopers, bombs, diving plays, headfirst slides and power strikeouts, it was a solid RBI single by Alexi Casilla that gave the Twins a 6-5 win and a date with October baseball.

What was supposed to be a swansong for the Metrodome turned into a classic back and forth contest where you never knew which team was going to win until the final pitch.

It took 163 games, extra innings and a win-or-go-home tiebreaker, but Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins can finally breathe easy—at least for one more day.

The Twins claimed the eighth and final playoff spot on Tuesday night, coming from behind twice to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5.

Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera hit big home runs and Alexi Casilla drove home the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning on a base hit to right field.

In knocking off the Tigers, they stamped their ticket to the Bronx to set up a showdown with the Yankees in the ALDS on Wednesday.

It's been a slow, painful ride, but the Detroit Tigers have managed to defy all odds and handed over the division title tonight in Minnesota.  No team had ever blown a three game lead with four games to go until the Tigers did this season.

But, the past is the past, and there is no reason to reminisce about the less-than-stellar 2009 Tigers campaign any longer.  We must look to the future and fill in some major voids that were apparent down the stretch.

Now that the smoke has cleared from this 2009 baseball season and all games are now in the books, it's a good time to objectively reflect on the regular season.

This is especially true for Mets fans, since once again, there will be no October baseball played in Queens.

Many Marlins fans have already realized that starting pitching is extremely important to win and get to the playoffs, and the lack of consistent pitching was the reason the Marlins couldn't get to the Playoffs this year.

I know this may seem far fetched but Jamie Moyer, who had a mediocre year with the Phillies, could be a good fit for the Marlins.

The Marlins need a veteran anchor in the rotation who has experience, and who better than the 46 year old veteran.

...Chad Gaudin.

The Yankees broke from their season long stand of having Joba Chamberlain pitch strictly as a starter, and, in the last game of the season, threw him for one inning out of the bullpen.

Joba threw strikes, his velocity was in the mid-to-high 90s, and he punctuated a seven-pitch inning with a strikeout of Fernando Perez.  Perez swung and missed on a biting slider, and then whiffed on a 95 MPH high fastball.

It was like the Joba of late 2007.

As the Sox look forward to the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, there are a few things that we DO know:

1) According to the NY Daily News, the Red Sox and Angels will play in ALDS Series B, meaning they’ll play on Thursday and Friday nights in Los Angeles at 9:37 PM EST, followed by games here in Boston on Sunday and Monday…the fifth game in LA will be played on Wednesday, if necessary. No surprise here.

A few years ago, I wrote an article regarding the length of the Major League Baseball season, and some ideas as to how to shorten it.

Watching players and fans alike dressed more for an outdoor hockey game rather than a baseball game, not just an ordinary game,  but a World Series game, one that could decide the world championship, just gave me chills up, and down, my spine.

This year's schedule makes me shiver even more.