Fansided

Tiebreaker games have given us some of baseball’s memorable moments

By David Salituro

(ga) ROCKIES_PADRES TIE BREAKER - Colorado Rockies run to home plate to congratulate Matt Holliday on scoring the winning run during the tie breaker game against the San Diego Padres for the National League West wild card playoff spot at Coors Field on Monday, October 1, 2007. (Glenn Asakawa / The Denver Post) MATT HOLLIDAY (Photo By Glenn Asakawa/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
(ga) ROCKIES_PADRES TIE BREAKER - Colorado Rockies run to home plate to congratulate Matt Holliday on scoring the winning run during the tie breaker game against the San Diego Padres for the National League West wild card playoff spot at Coors Field on Monday, October 1, 2007. (Glenn Asakawa / The Denver Post) MATT HOLLIDAY (Photo By Glenn Asakawa/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS – OCTOBER 06: Alexi Casilla #25 of the Minnesota Twins hits the game-winning hit as the Twins defeat the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Tiebreaker game on October 6, 2009 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS – OCTOBER 06: Alexi Casilla #25 of the Minnesota Twins hits the game-winning hit as the Twins defeat the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Tiebreaker game on October 6, 2009 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

4) Twins close out the Metrodome in style

The Minnesota Twins last regular season game at the Metrodome turned out to be a memorable one, as they beat the Detroit Tigers in a one-game tiebreaker in 2009 to win the AL Central.

The Twins were three games back of the Tigers with just four left in the season, but finished the year winning all four. Detroit, meanwhile, went 1-3 down the stretch and both teams finished with identical 86-76 records, forcing a playoff in Minnesota on Oct. 6 to determine the division champion.

It was the Tigers who struck first, scoring three runs in the top of the third inning including a home run by Miguel Cabrera. The Twins would get within one in the sixth after Jason Kubel hit a home run off Tigers starter Rick Porcello, then took the lead with a two-run homer by Orlando Cabrera in the seventh.

That lead didn’t last long, as Magglio Ordonez led off the eighth with a solo shot to tie the game at four. The game remained tied going to the 10th, when the Tigers retook the lead with a Brandon Inge double that drove in pinch-runner Don Kelly. The Twins, however, responded in the bottom half of the inning off closer Fernando Rodney. Michael Cuddyer led off the inning with a triple to center, then scored on Matt Tolbert’s RBI single. Pinch-runner Alexi Casilla stood at third base as the winning run and took off for home after Nick Punto hit a fly ball to left. Casilla, however, left too soon and had to go back to touch the base. The mistake cost him and he was out at home plate.

After both teams failed to score in the 11th, the Tigers loaded the bases in the 12th with one out and Inge at the plate. Inge appeared to be hit by a pitch from Twins reliever Bobby Keppel, but the umpire ruled the ball didn’t make contact with him and the at-bat continued. Inge would eventually ground into a forceout at home, and the Twins got out of the inning when Gerald Laird struck out swinging on a 3-2 count.

Rodney went back out for the bottom of the 12th for his fourth inning of work and gave up a lead-off single to Carlos Gomez. After Gomez advanced to second on a groundout and Delmon Young was intentionally walked, Casilla came to the plate with a chance to atone for his earlier mistake. He came through, hitting a ground ball between second and first that brought in Gomez with the winning run and sent the Twins to the playoffs.

The Twins would go on to lose the ALDS in three games to the New York Yankees. This game was later named by Sports Illustrated as the best regular season game of the decade.

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