The promise of a wild playoff race paid off as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers remained tied at the end of the normal 162 game season. A “play-in” 163rd game is now set-up to decide who goes into the playoffs.
The tiebreaker will be Monday at 8 pm EST at Arlington and broadcast on TBS. The winner will travel to Cleveland to play in the Wild Card game on Wednesday.
There are a lot of great storylines to follow.
For the Rangers, being in the Wild Card game is a disappointing finish to the season. A tiebreaker to get to the Wild Card is even worse. The Rangers choked away the AL West to the Oakland A’s in the beginning of September but have perked up a bit this past week. In fact, they have won their last 8 straight.
The Rays are always in underdog mode and relish this spot. History isn’t on their side as they’ve been bounced from the playoffs twice by the Rangers. That sense of revenge coupled with underdog spirit could negate any home field advantage the Rangers have.
Reigning Cy Young winner, David Price, will take the mound for the Rays. While it’s nice to have the team ace starting, Price hasn’t had much success against the Rangers. He has a lifetime 1-4 record and a bloated 5.98 ERA (10.98 in Arlington!). The Rangers have owned him in the playoffs defeating him three times.
Nelson Cruz will be the villain or the hero of this tale depending on who you root for. Cruz’s 50 game suspension for PED’s is completed. Even though the tiebreaker game is part of the regular season, Cruz served his time. He has a lifetime .429 batting average (9 for 21) with three homers. Is he the cavalry coming to save the day or is he a cheater getting to play on a technicality?
Rookies will be a key to the game. Rangers pitching has always been suspect, but they are relying on rookie, Martin Perez, to keep the Rays at bay. He just needs to keep the game manageable to allow his offense to get after Price.
For the Rays, Wil Myers is a front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award with a .291 average to go with 13 home runs in only 86 games. He hasn’t gotten the press of Yasiel Puig but has been a similar spark to the Rays offense. If legends are born in the playoffs, then both Perez and Myers will have the stage to build their careers.
Expanded rosters are still in effect, so expect both pitchers to receive quick hooks if they run into trouble.
Both the Rangers and Rays finished the season with 91 wins. Monday’s game will be baseball’s first wildcard tiebreaker since 2007.
No matter who wins, the fun will pick back up the next day as the Reds and Pirates face off in the NL Wild Card game.
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit; Getty
