Before September, if I had told you both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves would fail to make it to the postseason, you would have called me delusional. Yet, it happened, and the country is still in shock.
For those who live under a rock, the Boston Red Sox blew the biggest lead in September in MLB history. A seemingly safe, nine-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays going into Sept. 4 disappeared before our eyes. Oh yeah, the Braves blew an eight-and-a-half game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first week of September as well.
Witnessing two monumental collapses in the same season is pretty extraordinary, but the fashion in which it ended is what makes it so memorable. It was almost poetic in the way the season finished, and nobody could have written a better script.
The Red Sox were a strike away from winning their final game of the season and, at the very least, forcing a one game playoff with Tampa for the wild card spot. However, the Baltimore Orioles would have none of this as they scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Boston.
The Rays were losing 0–7 to the Yankees. Therefore, Red Sox fans had nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. After scoring six runs in the eighth, the Rays were down to their final strike, and in danger of losing the game by one run. Who was at the plate? It was pinch–hitter Dan Johnson. Who? His batting average for the season was under .200. I would have taken my chances on Don Johnson instead of this guy. But, what do you know? He hits a home run to tie the game. Evan Longoria would then hit a walk–off home run in the twelfth to send the Rays to the postseason.
The Braves collapse wasn’t quite as dramatic, but they did blow a ninth inning lead and fell in extras in their final game of the season. Ouch.
It’s moments like these that remind us why we watch and love sports. The unpredictability and the ability to defy logic truly define the beauty in sports.
