2008 American League Central tie-breaker game

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2008 American League Central tie-breaker game
The White Sox celebrate victory after the final out
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Minnesota Twins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Chicago White Sox 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 x 1 5 0
DateSeptember 30,
TBS
TV announcersDick Stockton, Ron Darling and Harold Reynolds
RadioESPN
KSTP (MIN)
WSCR (CHW)
Radio announcersESPN: Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell
KSTP: John Gordon and Dan Gladden
WSCR: Ed Farmer and Steve Stone

The 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game, was a

U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, on September 30, 2008. The White Sox won the game, 1–0, on a home run by Jim Thome, the lowest-scoring game in MLB tie-breaker history. The Sox advanced to the 2008 AL Division Series, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays
, 3 games to 1; the Twins failed to qualify for the postseason.

The game was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 88–74. The White Sox won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule, awarded them home field in the game. The tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game by both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.

Background

The game was played at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Fans were encouraged to wear black clothing in support of the home team.
Main articles: 2008 Chicago White Sox season and 2008 Minnesota Twins season

Prior to the start of the season, the

games back.[6]

The White Sox led for most of the season starting with a tie for first on May 17, held at least a share of the lead for 154 days, and never dropped more than a game behind the leader.[7] The Twins spent much of the season in second place behind the White Sox, along with 54 days in the lead.[8] Despite going 11–15 in September, the Twins took a half-game lead with an extra innings win over the White Sox on September 25 that capped a three-game sweep of Chicago.[9] The Twins maintained that lead through their final game,[8] forcing Chicago to play a make-up on September 29 against the Tigers which had been rained out earlier that month.[10] The White Sox won, 8–2, leaving the Sox and Twins tied atop the AL Central with 88–74 records, forcing a tie-breaker to decide the division.[7][8][10] Tickets for the tie-breaker sold out within an hour of the end of the September 29 game.[11]

The White Sox won the right to play at

TBS.[12] The White Sox used John Danks on three days' rest as their starter, and the Twins started Nick Blackburn.[12]

Game summary

A man in a grey baseball uniform with "Chicago" on his chest in black with a black cap, black batting gloves, and a baseball bat under his arm.
Jim Thome, seen here in the regular season, was responsible for the only run of the game with a solo home run in the 7th inning.
September 30, 2008 6:37 pm (
U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Minnesota Twins 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Chicago White Sox 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 x 1 5 0
WP: John Danks (12–9)   LP: Nick Blackburn (11–11)   Sv: Bobby Jenks (30)
Home runs:
MIN: None
CWS: Jim Thome (34)
Attendance: 40,354

Both Blackburn and Danks held the game scoreless early on, allowing only six

catcher A. J. Pierzynski blocked the plate and tagged out Cuddyer to end the inning.[15] This play drew praise after the game as a "nice throw"[16] and a "defensive gem".[15]

The only run of the game scored when White Sox

at-bats (.550 batting average) against Danks for their careers but in the tie-breaker they combined to go 1–for-9 (.111) with 3 strikeouts.[17] This game saw the lowest combined score of any tie-breaker game in MLB history, three runs lower than the 3–1 score of the first game of the 1951 National League tie-breaker series.[18]

Aftermath

With the victory, the White Sox earned their first playoff berth since their win in the 2005 World Series.[19] However, they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, 3 games to 1 in the AL Division Series.[20]

Rawlings Gold Glove Award that year.[25] This was the last tie-breaker with home field determined by a coin flip. Following the 2008 season MLB amended its rules, leaving future tie-breaker sites to be determined on a series of performance-based criteria beginning with the head-to-head record between the teams.[26]

References

General
Specific
  1. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  2. ^ Verducci, Tom (March 25, 2008). "Season forecast: My playoff picks and surprise teams for '08 campaign". SI.CNN.com. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  3. ^ Sheehan, Joe (March 30, 2008). "Prospectus Today: AL Preview". Baseball Prospectus. Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Mass, AJ (February 26, 2009). "30 Questions: Can Pronk, V-Mart bounce back?". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  5. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  6. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
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    Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
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    Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  9. ^ "Casilla's 10th-inning single gives Twins sweep of ChiSox". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 25, 2008. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Ramirez's grand slam paves way as White Sox force tiebreaker with Twins". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "White Sox tiebreaker game sold out". MLB.com. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c "White Sox claim home-field advantage if AL Central comes to tiebreaker". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 30, 2007. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  13. ^ Branch, John (October 4, 2008). "When Spotlight Is On, the Clothes Turn Black". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  14. ^
    Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  15. ^ a b Just, David (October 1, 2008). "White Sox marvel at Griffey's throw". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  16. ^ "Danks limits Twins, Thome blasts solo shot as ChiSox clinch playoff berth". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  17. ^ Just, David (September 30, 2008). "Danks steps up in tiebreaker". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  18. ^ "Tiebreaker Playoff Results". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  19. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on April 6, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  20. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  21. ^ Newman, Mark (September 29, 2008). "Baseball a salvation in tough times". MLB.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  22. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
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    from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  24. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  25. ^
    Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived
    from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  26. ^ "Ownership approves two major rules amendments". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. January 15, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2011.