*Down to the Wire*: AL East/West/WC race thread.

[DSpivack]

Runners on 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs for Cespedes. Looked like a routine fly ball to CF...except Josh Hamilton whiffed at the catch. 7-5 Oakland.

EDIT: What a game, indeed. Hard to believe it's only the 4th inning.

EDIT II: Misplay on a ball up the middle (not an error I don't think, just glanced off of Andrus' glove as he was diving for it) and it's 8-5 Oakland after 5.

[JB98]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

A miracle happened there, I suppose you could say. Coco Crisp double down the line ties it with two out in the 4th, after Derek Holland comes on in relief for Texas.

No miracle, really. Ryan Dempster might have been the Cubs ace, but he's just a No. 4 or No. 5 guy on a contending AL team. He's just not as good as many Chicago folk made him out to be. Even some Sox fans were fooled, wanting KW to acquire Dempster at the deadline.

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by JB98

No miracle, really. Ryan Dempster might have been the Cubs ace, but he's just a No. 4 or No. 5 guy on a contending AL team. He's just not as good as many Chicago folk made him out to be. Even some Sox fans were fooled, wanting KW to acquire Dempster at the deadline.

Oh, I know, was just riffing off of the post I quoted.

Still an exciting game. Crazy finish in the AL West; per Elias, no team has ever had this big of a comeback with so few games remaining.

They were down 5 games with 9 to play; HR just put the score at exactly that, 9-5, somewhat ironically.

[TDog]

Originally Posted by JB98

No miracle, really. Ryan Dempster might have been the Cubs ace, but he's just a No. 4 or No. 5 guy on a contending AL team. He's just not as good as many Chicago folk made him out to be. Even some Sox fans were fooled, wanting KW to acquire Dempster at the deadline.

The miracle was what happened after Demster left with Mr. Everything, waling-on-water Josh Hamilton forsaking the Rangers. I wonder what vice he will blame for his poor play today.

But Hamilton will sign for more money than Demster during the offseason.

[harwar]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

Crazy finish in the AL West; per Elias, no team has ever had this big of a comeback with so few games remainin

Yea, and if they win today it will be their only game in first place ..

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by harwar

Yea, and if they win today it will be their only game in first place ..

Wow! Didn't realize that.

Brandon Moss breaks it wide open with a bases-clearing double. 12-5 Oakland and they're 3 outs away from the AL West title.

[thomas35forever]

Originally Posted by harwar

Yea, and if they win today it will be their only game in first place ..

Didn't that happen to the 2006 Twins?

[harwar]

Originally Posted by thomas35forever

Didn't that happen to the 2006 Twins?

the A's broadcast team said it has only happened twice before .. once the Giants in 51 and some other team in 1901 i think he said

[harwar]

The Rangers picked a bad time to go on a skid .. they have really been struggling lately ..

[dwitt76]

Originally Posted by thomas35forever

Didn't that happen to the 2006 Twins?

Correct

[soxnut1018]

I love baseball.

[thomas35forever]

Bob Melvin just won AL Manager of the Year.

[harwar]

That was fun .. now have to go watch the White Sox and hope that could be them next year ..

[cub killer]

Only 5 times in baseball history has a team come back from 13 games out to win the division or pennant. Wow. Congrats to the A's, who may have the lowest payroll in all of baseball. Now, hopefully they will open that upper deck. It hurts to see baseball fall so much in Oaktown, that the UD gets tarped.

The 2007 Rockies approve of this late season surge.

And now to root on the Yankees. Go Yanks! I don't want a situation where the best record in the AL does NOT get the #1 seed.

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by thomas35forever

Didn't that happen to the 2006 Twins?

Originally Posted by dwitt76

Correct

The Twins tied the division with 4 games to go, and won it alone on the last day. Thus, they were tied in first place for 3 games. That said, the A's were tied after yesterday's game, as well.