One of The Best Nights in Baseball History{Video}

Before I start this story I will hit you with a quote from Scott Van Pelt "This is why Sports is bigger then the world". With that saying we will dive right into what happened on this Fall September 28th night. four baseball games with four teams going for only two play-off spots left.

Tonight would have never happened if both Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves could have held onto their huge leads heading into September. Boston had a nine game lead over Tampa Bay Rays on September 1st for the American League Wild Card, yet Boston would go 7-19 to finish tied with the Rays heading into the last day of the baseball season.

The same sceniro happened in the National League for the Wild Card, with Atlanta having 8.5 game lead over the St Louis Cardinals, yet heading into the last game both Cardinals and the Braves were tied.

This is where things get interesting. Boston was in Baltimore playing the Orioles, and Tampa was hosting the New York Yankees. The Orioles and the Yankees both had nothing to play for, Orioles were never in contention, and the Yankees clinched the East Division last week. But in baseball nothing is ever impossible.

The Yankees jumped out to a early 7-0 lead, yet what ever the Rays have been putting in their water is

working, because they climbed their way back by putting up a six spot in the eighth inning to climb within one of the Yankees. Meanwhile Boston was up 3-2, but were in a rain delay. Switching back to the Yankees and Rays game. It was in the bottom of the ninth inning the Yankees up 7-6 decided not to put Mariano Reivera into the game to close it out, but instead put Cory Wade on the mound. Wade quickly got two outs, and up steps Dan Johnson who has not hit home run since April of this year, with a 2.2 count and 2 outs Johnson hits a line drive down the right field line for a home run to draw even with the Yankees.

Now going back to Baltimore, Boston squandered multiple opportunities to add more runs to their lead, yet could not. Boston with a 3-2 lead put Johnathan Papelbon on the mound, and just like Wade gets two quick outs; but next thing you know Chris Davis hits a double down the right field line, and the next batter Nolan Reimold hits a ground rule double to even the score at 3-3, but before you knew it Robert Andino who was 0-4 in the game hits a weak line drive to left field and falls in front of Carl Crawford for a walk-off single. Before Boston could even realize that they lost, 3 minutes later at the Rays and Yankees game, Evan Longoria who already hit a three run home run earlier in the game steps up to the plate, and hits a walk-off home run to give the Tampa Bay Rays the American League Wild Card.

In the National League things were a little more normal, because the Cardinals

easily defeated the Houston Astros 8-0 to give the Cardinals at least a share of the National League Wild Card. Atlanta Braves had a 3-2 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the ninth inning, yet Craig Kimbrel blew the save and the game would head into extra innings, and would not be decided until the 13th inning when Hunter Pence hit a go ahead single for the Phillies. The Braves season would end on 3-6-3 double-play and in Houston the Cardinals celebrated a play-off berth.

Besides the Cardinals and Astros game, there was so much more that went into each game that I cant even begin to elaborate on. All I have to say is if you thought baseball was a boring game, then tonight would have changed your viewpoint. Besides all the dramatic endings the New York Yankees made history tonight by allowing seven or more runs in the eighth inning or later for the first time since 1953, and Longoria did something tonight that has only happened one other time in baseball history, and that is hitting a walk-off home run to put his team into the play-offs and the only other guy to do that is the late Bobby Thompson who hit the "shot heard around the world' in 1951. Heading into this game their was drama from two potential game 163's, yet tonight we witnessed two extra inning classic baseball games, one fantastic ninth inning ending, and to cap it all off with a walk-off home run.