Central Division Showdown: It Comes Down to One

‘Monday, September 29, 2008– Up until yesterday, both the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins had their destiny in their hands.

>

After the Twins swept the White Sox in three games a week ago, each team had three games left … and had either team won a single game, they would have been Division champions, because the other team lost each of their games!

As it is, both the Twins and the White Sox lost their games. This forced the White Sox to have to play a makeup game with the Detroit Tigers. If the Tigers won, the Minnesota Twins would be the Central Division Champions. If the White Sox won, then the White Sox and the Twins would have to play a tie-breaking game to see who the champion was.

And, the White Sox won.

The Tigers kept it close for the first few innings, maintaining a 2-2 tie. But the wheels came off in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Tigers starter Freddie Garcia, who had pitched well up to that point, had to leave mid-batter with tightness in his shoulder. Starter Armando Galarraga was brought in, and immediately uncorked two wild pitches, and allowing the tying run to score, before being pulled. Bobby Seay came in, threw a wild pitch of his own, and then gave up a Grand Slam to Alexei Ramirez to make it 6-2 and put the game out of reach.

Alexei Ramirez is a rookie from Cuba, nicknamed The Cuban Missile, and he certainly left the Detroit Tigers shell-shocked. In addition, this was Ramirez’ fourth Grand Slam of the season, a feat that no other rookie had done before.

Gavin Floyd (17-8) got the win for the White Sox, and Matt Thornton, Octavio Dotel, Scott Linebrink and finally D. J. Carrasco closed out the Tigers in the last three innings.

Armando Galarraga takes the loss for the TIgers, and ends the season 13-7.

So, the Twins have to travel to Chicago on Tuesday night to play for all the marbles. John Danks will start for Chicago, on three days’ rest. The Twins will send Nick Blackburn to the mound.