No matter how hard you were to try, you just couldn't script what has transpired in the MLB playoffs this year.
First just to get to the playoffs, who would have written that the Oakland Athletics would comeback from 13.5 games back and knock off the Texas Rangers for the AL West title that they had held since April?
Who would seriously give the ST Louis Cardinals a real chance to get back to the playoffs after losing a major cog in thier offence in Albert Pujols in the off season?
Who would put money on the San Francisco Giants with a struggling Lincecum, and a NL batting leader suspended for PEDs to win the NL West after the block buster trade that the Dodgers pulled off after opening the mint to pay for it?
Who really gave Detroit a shot after struggling most of the year to come back and win the AL Central?
Did anyone see Baltimore battling the Yankees for the AL East all year until the last two games of the season?
And no one I knew of, picked the Washington Nationals to win the NL East and have the best record in baseball at the start of the season.
And all that was just a precursor to the playoffs.
We had the infield fly gate in the Atlanta vs Cardinals one game playoff, another unlikely win or go home game for the ever resilient Cardinals.
We had the most unlikely Texas Rangers reeling from losing the Division, now losing their 4th straight game to the determined Baltimore Orioles. One of the early picks to be in the World Series out of the playoffs in the very first game.
Finally we got to the REAL playoffs, where every single series would go to a 5th and deciding game.
ALDS Athletics vs Tigers
The Tigers jumped out to a 2 game to nothing lead in the series at home against the Athletics, behind their dominant starter Verlander, who is arguably the BEST starting pitcher in the major leagues at the moment. So rather than folding after their improbable run the Athletics get back home and win 2 elimination games. The first a brilliant 2-0 shutout of the powerful Detroit offense, and then an improbable 9th inning walk off 4-3 win scoring 3 in the bottom of the 9th to send the series to a 5th game.
The Oakland magic died in the 5th and final game as Verlander simply pitched a 9 inning complete game 4 hit shutout of the A's to seal the Detroit win.
ALDS Yankees vs Orioles
This series was destined to go to 5 games from the start. The two teams had split the season series, and the battle for the NL East had gone down to the last couple of games of the season before it was decided.
The two teams alternated wins in the first 4 games to set up the dramatics of the 5th and final game of the series. CC Sabathia, probably the SECOND BEST starting pitcher in the majors held the Orioles scoreless in a complete game domination, that allowed the faltering Yankee's offense just enough room to score 3 runs to cement their advancement to the ALCS.
NLDS Giants vs Reds
The Reds went into San Francisco playing probably the best ball of the year for them, and quickly took the first 2 games to put the Giants in the position of having to win 3 road games to advance. In a game where pitching will give you a chance to win, the Giants got just enough pitching to do what many thought would be extremely tough to do, but they won all 3 games in the Reds ballpark to take the series playing 3 elimination games to do it.
NLDS Cardinals vs Nationals
The Nationals set themselves up for the series by getting a split in St Louis in the first 2 games, putting the Cardinals in the unenviable situation of having to win 2 games on the Nationals home turf. The Cardinals blew out the Nationals 8-0 in the 3rd game of the series putting Washington back into a hole, and moving the momentum of the series into the Cardinals favor. 9th inning heroics by Werth saved the Nationals in the 4th game, to set up another 5th and deciding game, in this set of improbable playoffs.
The final game had to be the most improbable of all these improbable playoff games.
The Nationals jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the 3rd inning. Everyone probably thought the Cardinals were done. Everyone except the Cardinals apparently. The Cardinals chipped away at the lead with a run in the 4th, 2 runs in the 5th, another run in the 7th, another run in the 8th to get to within 1 run at 6-5.
Then the Nationals finally responded by getting an insurance run in the 8th to move the Cardinals deficit back to 2 runs as we moved to the top of the 9th. A combination of walks, and balls bouncing off of infielder gloves set up the improbable 4 run Cardinal 9th to take a 9-7 lead and let the air out of a stadium as quickly as I have ever seen. The Nationals were done, three quick outs and the Cardinals were advancing to the NLCS, and the Nationals were left wondering what had happened.
When people write or make movies about baseball, they invariably come up short from what the game can so successfully do on it's own by just playing the game.
