Three of the four baseball playoff series have been decided already, and in all three cases, the losing team lost in part because a late-inning pitching specialist failed to do his job. For the Minnesota Twins, it was Joe Nathan relinquishing a lead to the Yankees; for the Boston Red Sox it was Jonathan Papelbon […]
One play stands out from yesterday’s classic playoff game in which the Minnesota Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers to earn a trip to New York to play the Yankees. Late in the game, a Detroit player tried to bunt. If he had been successful, it might have helped the Tigers build a crucial run. Instead, […]
One thing is for sure about this evening’s winner-take-all playoff game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins in the Metrodome: The batting practice and game warmup will look just like the 162 that took place during the regular season. Nothing will change, even though the game will decide which team goes home and […]
Oops! I usually notice Oct. 3, the anniversary of the day Bobby Thomson hit baseball’s most famous home run. But yesterday it slipped by without notice, and today is a good day to revisit the event, especially with two baseball teams playing for their lives today, just as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants […]
Detroit has been inspiring writers this year. Back in January, columnist Mitch Albom wrote a moving piece on the city, on its troubles, its values, and its affection for its sports teams. Currently the city is featured on the cover of Sports illustrated, with the Tigers playing a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins that […]
Hall of Fame baseball player Sandy Koufax comes to mind today because in 1965 he declined to pitch in Game One of the World Series and instead attended synagogue on Yom Kippur. At the time, Koufax was the best pitcher in the world, and the Dodgers sorely missed him in Game One. He came back […]