Twins Beat Tigers to Make Playoffs
October 6, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Baseball
In one of the most exciting tiebreaker games in the history of baseball, the Minnesota Twins were able to defeat the Detroit Tigers in 12 innings. With Carlos Gomez on second base, Alexi Casilla hit a game-winning single off of Fernando Rodney to win the game.
After Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run blast in the third inning, the Tigers held a 3-0 lead. But then the Twins scored the game’s next four runs — capped by a two-run homer by Orlando Cabrera. In the eighth inning, Magglio Ordonez hit a solo home run to tie it up.
The tenth inning also brought plenty of drama. In the top half of the inning, Brandon Inge hit a double to give the Tigers a one-run lead. But in the bottom of the tenth, Matt Tolbert tied it up with a run scoring single. There was no more scoring before Casilla’s heroics in the 12th.
The Twins now advance to the 2009 baseball playoffs and have a date with the New York Yankees. The Yankees will be regarded as the strong favorite in the series.
“We’re not afraid,” said Ron Gardenhire, the manager of the Twins. “I can guarantee you that.”
The Minnesota Twins Won a Historic Tiebreaker (Image: Zuma Press)
