2009 American League Central tie-breaker game
Encyclopedia
The 2009 American League Central tiebreaker game was a one-game playoff
for Major League Baseball
's (MLB) American League Central
divisional championship. The game took place on October 6, 2009 between the Detroit Tigers
and the Minnesota Twins
at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 86–76. As such the game decided which team would win the American League Central and move on to the postseason
. The Twins, who had won the regular season series against the Tigers 11 games to 7, played on their home field due to a rules change prior to the 2009 season.
The Twins won the game 6–5 in extra innings
and advanced to the 2009 American League Division Series
where they were swept by the New York Yankees
. It was the third tie-breaker played in MLB from 2007–2009, an unprecedented number. It was also the second consecutive tiebreaker for the American League Central title after 2008
, when the Chicago White Sox
defeated the Twins to win the division. In baseball statistics
tie-breakers are counted as the 163rd regular season game played by both teams and all events in the game are added to regular season statistics. This was the Twins' final regular season game at the Metrodome as the team moved to Target Field
for the 2010 season
. The tie-breaker was later named the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade by Sports Illustrated
.
in 2009, they won just 1 of 4 games in October the Twins went 16–11 and 4–0 respectively over this same stretch to tie the Tigers for the divisional lead after the 162-game regular season. More broadly, the Tigers were 48–39 over the first half of the season while the Twins were 45–44 but the Twins came back in the second half going 41–32 leading up to the tie-breaker while the Tigers went 38–37 over the same span. The Twins won 11 of the two team's 18 match-ups that season prior to the tie-breaker.
This late season competition for the AL Central title included a 4-game series between the two teams from September 29 to October 2. The series, played at the Tigers' home field Comerica Park
, started with a day-night doubleheader caused by a rainout the night before when the series was scheduled to start. The final game of the series featured moments of contention between the two teams. Minnesota starter
Scott Baker hit
Marcus Thames
with a pitch. Thames responded by sliding
hard into second base to break up a potential double play
that inning. Twins' reliever
Jose Mijares
then threw behind the Tigers' Adam Everett
in the eighth inning. Umpire
Angel Hernandez
warned Mijares and the Tigers bench, Tigers' manager
Jim Leyland
argued with Hernandez, and he was ejected. Despite the warning Minnesota's Delmon Young
was hit in the knee with the first pitch in the ninth inning by Jeremy Bonderman
. Bonderman was immediately ejected as was Tigers' catcher
Gerald Laird
who argued with Hernandez and the benches cleared, though there was no brawl
. Tigers' hitting coach
Lloyd McClendon
—who had been acting as manager following Leyland's ejection—was suspended for a game and he, Leyland, and Laird were all fined.
Ultimately, the four-game series was split with two wins for each team, and the Tigers maintained a two-game lead with only three games remaining for each club. The Tigers lost two of their next three games to the Chicago White Sox
, whereas the Twins swept the Kansas City Royals
in a three-game set leaving both teams tied with an 86–76 record. A one-game playoff would decide the winner of the Central division while the loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. Prior to the 2009 season
, home field advantage in a tiebreaker game was decided by a series of coin tosses
held towards the end of the regular season that would decide the home teams of all possible one-game playoffs. A rule change following the 2008 season
altered this process, leaving the site determined on a series of performance-based criteria beginning with the head-to-head record between the two teams that were tied. Therefore, the Twins took home-field advantage in this game, by virtue of winning the season series against the Tigers 11–7. The game was the third MLB tie-breaker in three seasons, a record number for the league.
While October 5 had been the original scheduled date for a potential tiebreaker game, a conflict with a Monday Night Football
game between the Green Bay Packers
and Minnesota Vikings
being played at the Metrodome that night led to the baseball game being moved to the following day.
Box score
for Tuesday, October 6, 2009—4:08 p.m. (ET
) at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The game was scoreless through the first two innings. Detroit took a three-run lead in the third innning which started when Curtis Granderson
walked
, advanced on a ground out, and scored on a single by Magglio Ordóñez
to center field. Ordóñez was then brought home via a two-run home run
by Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera
. The Twins responded in the bottom of the inning, with Matt Tolbert
singling to lead off the inning, advancing to second base on a single by Denard Span
, and then moving to third on a flyball out. Tigers' starter Rick Porcello
attempted a pickoff
throw to first which hit the baserunner Span and went past the first baseman Cabrera. Span was out but Tolbert was able to score on Porcello's throwing error
.
The score remained 3–1 until the bottom of the 6th inning. Porcello got the first two batters of the inning out but then allowed a solo home run to Jason Kubel
to bring the game within one run. Porcello then walked the next batter, Michael Cuddyer
, and was relieved
by Zach Miner
. The Twins loaded the bases
against Miner, but did not score again in the inning. Scott Baker, the Twins' starter, walked the first batter of the 7th and was relieved by Jon Rauch
though no runs scored. The Twins took a 4–3 lead in the bottom of the 7th with a leadoff single by Nick Punto
and a two-run home run by Orlando Cabrera
. The Tigers responded, tying the game at 4 with a home run by Ordóñez in the top of the 8th off of Matt Guerrier
. Guerrier allowed another two walks in the inning and was relieved by closer Joe Nathan
who escaped the inning with no further scoring.
Nathan remained in the game, holding the Tigers scoreless in the 9th, while Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney
and did the same to Minnesota to force extra innings
. Jesse Crain
replaced Nathan in the top of the 10th and hit
Aubrey Huff
who was pinch hitting
for Wilkin Ramirez
. Don Kelly
then pinch ran
for Huff, and scored on a double by Brandon Inge
to give the Tigers a 5–4 lead. The Tigers inserted Clete Thomas
for Ordóñez in right field as a defensive replacement
in the bottom of the 10th. However the Twins retied the game at 5–5 as Cuddyer led off the inning with a triple and, following a Delmon Young
groundout and a walk to Brendan Harris
, scored on a single by Tolbert. Alexi Casilla
pinch-ran for Harris and advanced to third on Tolbert's single. Nick Punto then hit a fly ball to left-fielder Ryan Raburn
. Casilla attempted to score on the play, but inadvertently inched off the base before the ball was caught, and had to return to the base before breaking for home. Catcher Gerald Laird
successfully tagged out Casilla to complete the inning-ending double play.
Both teams were held scoreless in the 11th. The Tigers threatened to score in the top of the 12th, with a walk by Cabrera and a single by Kelly with one out. Twins pitcher Bobby Keppel then intentionally walked Raburn to load the bases, hoping he could induce a double play
. Then, Keppel threw a fastball close to batter Brandon Inge with his first pitch. Inge believed he was hit by the ball and should advance to first, which would force a go-ahead run to score with the bases loaded, but home plate umpire Randy Marsh
ruled the pitch did not hit Inge and allowed the at-bat to continue. Tigers' manager Jim Leyland would say later that "the replay kind of confirms that it did hit him," but Marsh maintained that replays were "inconclusive." Inge ultimately grounded into a force out
at home and Laird would strikeout
to close the top of the inning with no scoring. Carlos Gómez
led off the bottom of the 12th with a single for the Twins and advanced to second on a ground-out. With first base open, the Tigers intentionally walked Delmon Young to bring up Casilla. Casilla atoned for his earlier base-running blunder by hitting a ground ball through the right side of the infield. The base hit allowed the speedy Gomez to score from second without a play, thus giving the Twins a 6–5 walk-off victory.
(ALDS) against the New York Yankees
. They were swept, losing the ALDS in three games. The Tigers became the first team in Major League Baseball history to have a three-game division lead with four games remaining and lose the division. MLB tie-breaker games count as regular season games and this game affected certain statistical races for the 2009 season. For example, Jason Beck of MLB.com
noted that if the umpire agreed with Brandon Inge on the contentious 12th inning call Inge would have tied for the most hit by a pitch
in the American League. Twins' catcher
Joe Mauer
won the 2009 American League batting title, and his final batting average
for the season moved from .364 to .365 in the game.
The game was later chosen by Sports Illustrated
as the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade.
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's (MLB) American League Central
American League Central
The American League Central Division is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment in 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States...
divisional championship. The game took place on October 6, 2009 between the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 86–76. As such the game decided which team would win the American League Central and move on to the postseason
Major League Baseball postseason
The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of Major League Baseball's regular season. It consists of one best-of-five series and two best-of-seven series...
. The Twins, who had won the regular season series against the Tigers 11 games to 7, played on their home field due to a rules change prior to the 2009 season.
The Twins won the game 6–5 in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
and advanced to the 2009 American League Division Series
2009 American League Division Series
The American League Division Series consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The ALDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and...
where they were swept by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. It was the third tie-breaker played in MLB from 2007–2009, an unprecedented number. It was also the second consecutive tiebreaker for the American League Central title after 2008
2008 American League Central tie-breaker game
The 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League Central division. The game took place on September 30, 2008 between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field. It was necessary after both teams finished the...
, when the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
defeated the Twins to win the division. In baseball statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
tie-breakers are counted as the 163rd regular season game played by both teams and all events in the game are added to regular season statistics. This was the Twins' final regular season game at the Metrodome as the team moved to Target Field
Target Field
Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...
for the 2010 season
2010 Minnesota Twins season
The Minnesota Twins season was the 50th season for the franchise in Minnesota, and the 110th overall in the American League.It was their first season in their new stadium, Target Field, which made its regular-season debut on April 12 as the Twins defeated the Boston Red Sox 5–2...
. The tie-breaker was later named the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
.
Background
The Tigers led the AL Central for periods at the start of the season in April, ultimately tying for the lead on May 10 and taking the lead outright on May 16. The Tigers held at least a share of the divisional lead from then onwards, holding their largest lead of 7 games on September 6. Although the Tigers went 16–12 in September, their second-best month by winning percentageWinning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
in 2009, they won just 1 of 4 games in October the Twins went 16–11 and 4–0 respectively over this same stretch to tie the Tigers for the divisional lead after the 162-game regular season. More broadly, the Tigers were 48–39 over the first half of the season while the Twins were 45–44 but the Twins came back in the second half going 41–32 leading up to the tie-breaker while the Tigers went 38–37 over the same span. The Twins won 11 of the two team's 18 match-ups that season prior to the tie-breaker.
This late season competition for the AL Central title included a 4-game series between the two teams from September 29 to October 2. The series, played at the Tigers' home field Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
, started with a day-night doubleheader caused by a rainout the night before when the series was scheduled to start. The final game of the series featured moments of contention between the two teams. Minnesota starter
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Scott Baker hit
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
Marcus Thames
Marcus Thames
Marcus Markley Thames is an American professional baseball outfielder. He has previously played for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers....
with a pitch. Thames responded by sliding
Slide (baseball)
In baseball, a slide is when a player, acting as a baserunner, drops his body to the ground once he is very close to the base he is approaching and slides along the ground to reach the base....
hard into second base to break up a potential double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
that inning. Twins' reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Jose Mijares
Jose Mijares
José Manuel Mijares is a left-handed major league pitcher with the Minnesota Twins.-Baseball career:...
then threw behind the Tigers' Adam Everett
Adam Everett
Jeffery Adam Everett , is an American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He played collegiate baseball at the University of South Carolina...
in the eighth inning. Umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
Angel Hernandez
Angel Hernandez (umpire)
Ángel Hernández is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He has worked in the National League from 1991 to 1999, and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He has umpired in the World Series in 2002 and 2005, as well as the 1999 All-Star Game...
warned Mijares and the Tigers bench, Tigers' manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Jim Leyland
Jim Leyland
James Richard "Jim" Leyland is a Major League Baseball manager, currently with the Detroit Tigers.He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
argued with Hernandez, and he was ejected. Despite the warning Minnesota's Delmon Young
Delmon Young
Delmon Damarcus Young is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He is the younger brother of former major league outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama.Young is known for having a strong and accurate...
was hit in the knee with the first pitch in the ninth inning by Jeremy Bonderman
Jeremy Bonderman
Jeremy Allen Bonderman is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who currently is a free agent. Bonderman is six feet and two inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed...
. Bonderman was immediately ejected as was Tigers' catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Gerald Laird
Gerald Laird
Gerald Lee Laird III is an American professional baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers. He graduated La Quinta High School in 1998, and played college baseball at Cypress College...
who argued with Hernandez and the benches cleared, though there was no brawl
Bench-clearing brawl
A bench-clearing brawl, sometimes known as a basebrawl or a rhubarb, is a form of ritualistic fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which every player on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches and charge the playing area in order to fight one...
. Tigers' hitting coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
Lloyd McClendon
Lloyd McClendon
Lloyd Glenn McClendon is a former professional baseball player and manager, currently serving as the hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers under Jim Leyland...
—who had been acting as manager following Leyland's ejection—was suspended for a game and he, Leyland, and Laird were all fined.
Ultimately, the four-game series was split with two wins for each team, and the Tigers maintained a two-game lead with only three games remaining for each club. The Tigers lost two of their next three games to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, whereas the Twins swept the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in a three-game set leaving both teams tied with an 86–76 record. A one-game playoff would decide the winner of the Central division while the loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. Prior to the 2009 season
2009 Major League Baseball season
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to...
, home field advantage in a tiebreaker game was decided by a series of coin tosses
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
held towards the end of the regular season that would decide the home teams of all possible one-game playoffs. A rule change following the 2008 season
2008 Major League Baseball season
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the...
altered this process, leaving the site determined on a series of performance-based criteria beginning with the head-to-head record between the two teams that were tied. Therefore, the Twins took home-field advantage in this game, by virtue of winning the season series against the Tigers 11–7. The game was the third MLB tie-breaker in three seasons, a record number for the league.
While October 5 had been the original scheduled date for a potential tiebreaker game, a conflict with a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
game between the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
being played at the Metrodome that night led to the baseball game being moved to the following day.
Game summary
Box score (baseball)
In baseball, the statistical summary of a game is reported in a box score. An abbreviated version of the box score, duplicated from the field scoreboard, is the line score...
for Tuesday, October 6, 2009—4:08 p.m. (ET
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
) at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
The game was scoreless through the first two innings. Detroit took a three-run lead in the third innning which started when Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson is an American Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees. Before joining the Yankees in 2010, he played with the Detroit Tigers . A center fielder, Granderson is known for being a five-tool player...
walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
, advanced on a ground out, and scored on a single by Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers . Ordóñez is six feet, one inch tall and weighs .-Professional career:...
to center field. Ordóñez was then brought home via a two-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
by Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
. The Twins responded in the bottom of the inning, with Matt Tolbert
Matt Tolbert
Christopher Matthew Tolbert is an American professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. After graduating from Centreville Academy in 2000, Tolbert attended University of Mississippi for four years; he was later drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2003 and the Minnesota Twins in 2004...
singling to lead off the inning, advancing to second base on a single by Denard Span
Denard Span
Keiunta Denard Span is an American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins. He was selected by the Twins with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft from Tampa Catholic High School...
, and then moving to third on a flyball out. Tigers' starter Rick Porcello
Rick Porcello
Frederick Alfred "Rick" Porcello III is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
attempted a pickoff
Pickoff
In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or a catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base....
throw to first which hit the baserunner Span and went past the first baseman Cabrera. Span was out but Tolbert was able to score on Porcello's throwing error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
.
The score remained 3–1 until the bottom of the 6th inning. Porcello got the first two batters of the inning out but then allowed a solo home run to Jason Kubel
Jason Kubel
Jason James Kubel is an American professional baseball player. A Belle Fourche, South Dakota native, Kubel was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 Draft after playing high school ball at Highland High School.-Early life:...
to bring the game within one run. Porcello then walked the next batter, Michael Cuddyer
Michael Cuddyer
Michael Brent Cuddyer is a Major League Baseball right fielder who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed, and wore number 5 for Minnesota Twins.-High school:...
, and was relieved
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
by Zach Miner
Zach Miner
Zachary Charles Miner is a Major League Baseball pitcher currently in the Kansas City Royals organization. He bats and throws right-handed.-Atlanta Braves:...
. The Twins loaded the bases
Bases loaded
In the sport of baseball, the bases are loaded when there is a runner on each base . This presents a great scoring opportunity for the batting team, but it also presents an easy double play opportunity for the defense. Causing the bases to become loaded is called loading the bases...
against Miner, but did not score again in the inning. Scott Baker, the Twins' starter, walked the first batter of the 7th and was relieved by Jon Rauch
Jon Rauch
Jon Erich Rauch is a right-handed relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. At 6' 11" , he is the tallest player in Major League Baseball history. He is also an Olympic Gold Medalist.-Early years:...
though no runs scored. The Twins took a 4–3 lead in the bottom of the 7th with a leadoff single by Nick Punto
Nick Punto
Nicholas Paul Punto is a Major League Baseball utility player. He has played second base, third base, shortstop, and center field. Punto is a switch hitter and throws right-handed....
and a two-run home run by Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Cabrera
Orlando Luis Cabrera, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", is a Colombian-American baseball infielder.He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He has played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins,...
. The Tigers responded, tying the game at 4 with a home run by Ordóñez in the top of the 8th off of Matt Guerrier
Matt Guerrier
Matthew Olson Guerrier is an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He attended college at Kent State University, and made his major league debut on June 17, .-Chicago White Sox:...
. Guerrier allowed another two walks in the inning and was relieved by closer Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Joseph Michael Nathan is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
who escaped the inning with no further scoring.
Nathan remained in the game, holding the Tigers scoreless in the 9th, while Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney
Fernando Rodney
Fernando Rodney is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Rodney throws a fastball in the mid to upper-90 miles per hour and a changeup in the low 80s.-Minor leagues:...
and did the same to Minnesota to force extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
. Jesse Crain
Jesse Crain
Jesse Alan Crain is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.-High school and college:...
replaced Nathan in the top of the 10th and hit
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Huff
Aubrey Lewis Huff III is a Major League Baseball first baseman with the San Francisco Giants. He debuted in 2000 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and later played for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers. He is the starting first baseman for the San Francisco Giants who won the...
who was pinch hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
for Wilkin Ramirez
Wilkin Ramírez
Wilkin Emilio Ramírez is Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.-Minor Leagues:...
. Don Kelly
Don Kelly
Donald Joseph Kelly is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Torquay United.Don Kelly, a centre-forward born in Market Harborough, began his career as an amateur with Coventry City, but joined Torquay United for the resumption of league football in 1946...
then pinch ran
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
for Huff, and scored on a double by Brandon Inge
Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge is an American professional baseball infielder for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
to give the Tigers a 5–4 lead. The Tigers inserted Clete Thomas
Clete Thomas
Michael Clete Thomas is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.-Career:...
for Ordóñez in right field as a defensive replacement
Defensive substitution
A defensive substitution in the game of baseball occurs when a currently non-playing player is placed into the field in place of a starting player, typically due either to injury or the appearance of a pinch hitter...
in the bottom of the 10th. However the Twins retied the game at 5–5 as Cuddyer led off the inning with a triple and, following a Delmon Young
Delmon Young
Delmon Damarcus Young is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He is the younger brother of former major league outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama.Young is known for having a strong and accurate...
groundout and a walk to Brendan Harris
Brendan Harris
Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980 in Albany, New York is a Major League Baseball utility infielder who is a free agent.Brendan grew up in Queensbury, New York and led the Spartans to the 1998 State Baseball Tournament. He graduated from the...
, scored on a single by Tolbert. Alexi Casilla
Alexi Casilla
Alexi Casilla Lora is a Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Minnesota Twins.-Professional career:...
pinch-ran for Harris and advanced to third on Tolbert's single. Nick Punto then hit a fly ball to left-fielder Ryan Raburn
Ryan Raburn
Ryan Neil Raburn is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers. Though primarily an outfielder, Raburn can also play third base, second base, first base, and catcher....
. Casilla attempted to score on the play, but inadvertently inched off the base before the ball was caught, and had to return to the base before breaking for home. Catcher Gerald Laird
Gerald Laird
Gerald Lee Laird III is an American professional baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers. He graduated La Quinta High School in 1998, and played college baseball at Cypress College...
successfully tagged out Casilla to complete the inning-ending double play.
Both teams were held scoreless in the 11th. The Tigers threatened to score in the top of the 12th, with a walk by Cabrera and a single by Kelly with one out. Twins pitcher Bobby Keppel then intentionally walked Raburn to load the bases, hoping he could induce a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
. Then, Keppel threw a fastball close to batter Brandon Inge with his first pitch. Inge believed he was hit by the ball and should advance to first, which would force a go-ahead run to score with the bases loaded, but home plate umpire Randy Marsh
Randy Marsh
Randall Gilbert Marsh is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1981 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000-2009. Marsh wore the uniform number 30...
ruled the pitch did not hit Inge and allowed the at-bat to continue. Tigers' manager Jim Leyland would say later that "the replay kind of confirms that it did hit him," but Marsh maintained that replays were "inconclusive." Inge ultimately grounded into a force out
Force play
In baseball, a force is a situation when a baserunner is compelled to vacate his time-of-pitch base—and thus try to advance to the next base—because the batter became a runner. A runner at first base is always forced to attempt to advance to second base when the batter becomes a runner...
at home and Laird would strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
to close the top of the inning with no scoring. Carlos Gómez
Carlos Gómez
Carlos Argelis Gómez Pena, nicknamed "Go-Go", is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.-Minor leagues:...
led off the bottom of the 12th with a single for the Twins and advanced to second on a ground-out. With first base open, the Tigers intentionally walked Delmon Young to bring up Casilla. Casilla atoned for his earlier base-running blunder by hitting a ground ball through the right side of the infield. The base hit allowed the speedy Gomez to score from second without a play, thus giving the Twins a 6–5 walk-off victory.
Aftermath
The tie-breaker win clinched the American League Central for the Twins and earned them a spot in the 2009 American League Division Series2009 American League Division Series
The American League Division Series consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a "wild card" team played in the two series. The ALDS began on Wednesday, October 7 and...
(ALDS) against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. They were swept, losing the ALDS in three games. The Tigers became the first team in Major League Baseball history to have a three-game division lead with four games remaining and lose the division. MLB tie-breaker games count as regular season games and this game affected certain statistical races for the 2009 season. For example, Jason Beck of MLB.com
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...
noted that if the umpire agreed with Brandon Inge on the contentious 12th inning call Inge would have tied for the most hit by a pitch
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
in the American League. Twins' catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...
won the 2009 American League batting title, and his final batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
for the season moved from .364 to .365 in the game.
The game was later chosen by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
as the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade.