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Don't close the doors yet: The Dome still has some magic moments to come
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(Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
Simply put, Tuesday's tiebreaker game to decide the American League Central division was one of the greatest baseball games ever played. Ever? Yes, ever! It had bathos, pathos, plots, sub-plots, heroes and villains.
The Minnesota Twins, down seven games on September 6th, and down three games with four to play in the season, pushed the Tigers to a 163rd game, and won a classic in a back-and-forth classic.
There were so many clutch performances on both teams, that it's easy to overlook a key reason the Twins ended up winning: the Metrodome. Yes, the worst stadium in Major League baseball was a key reason the Twins have a chance to win their third world championship. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the tenth, Michael Cuddyer hit a sinking liner to left that Detroit left fielder Ryan Raburn dove for, and the Metrodome turf carried it to the fence for a triple. One out later, Matt Tolbert hit a 12-hop turf hit up the middle just past second baseman Placido Palanco.
Alexi Casilla's game-winning hit in the 12th was nothing more than a two-hopper that bounce through the infield as can only happen on turf.
Yes, I'm looking forward to baseball outdoors next year at Target Field, but on a rainy 35-degree day like today, the Dome is well appreciated, and it could very well be the only reason the Twins could beat the Yankees in the Division Series starting Wednesday.
On paper, the Yankees are better at every position except catcher (and their catcher, Jorge Posada, is a hell of a catcher), and in a best-of-twenty-five series the Twins wouldn't stand a chance. But, in a best-of-five series, the Twins do have a chance, and a funny Dome hop here, or a ball lost in the roof there could turn the series.
This afternoon/night's game illustrated why baseball is the best game in the world. A little man (Casilla, Nick Punto, Orlando Cabrera) with skill can negate the heroics of a giant (Miguel Cabrera, Fernando Rodney), the game is truly never over 'til it's over.
With their quarter-billion dollar payroll, the Yankees can still be beat by a scrappy bunch of over-achievers. Will the Twins beat the Yanks? As Yogi Berra once said, "there are two words to describe baseball: You never know."
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